Chun-Jen Huang
Zwitterionic silatrane bio-interfaces for single-molecule imaging
Started on January, 2021
Website
Google Scholar
ORCID
### Bilateral Collaboration Overview Our group at the Vilnius University Life Sciences Center actively collaborates with **Prof. Chun-Jen Huang’s team** at National Central University (Taiwan)[cite: 1]. This partnership bridges advanced biophysics and single-molecule fluorescence microscopy (VU) with innovative biomaterial chemistry and surface modification techniques (NCU)[cite: 1]. Together, we focus on engineering ultra-low-fouling glass flowcells to overcome severe background noise and non-specific adsorption—the primary physical barriers in live-cell single-molecule tracking (SMT)[cite: 1]. ### Key Scientific Achievements Our joint research has established new functional silatrane-based surface chemistries that yield thin (<3 nm), homogeneous, antifouling coatings with >95% protein rejection[cite: 1]: * **Biotin-Silatrane Bio-Interfaces:** Developed novel biotin-functionalized silatranes for specific molecular anchoring without non-specific background ([ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2016](https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.6c05501)). * **Sulfobetaine & Aminopropyl-Silatranes:** Designed ultra-thin zwitterionic coatings that prevent non-specific protein binding in complex biophysical assays ([Biotechnol. J. / Journal, 2021](https://doi.org/10.1002/2211-5463.70211)). * **Live-Cell & In Vitro Applications:** Applied sulfobetaine- and aminopropyl-silatrane substrates to high-resolution single-molecule studies of protein complexes ([Cell Research / Nature Springer, 2025](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-025-01198-1)). ### Current Joint Initiatives: The FREEDOM Project We are currently expanding our bilateral consortium through the **FREEDOM** project (*Functional REsolution of Enzyme Diffusion and Oligomerization in Metabolons for Precision Oncology*)[cite: 1]. * **Solving the Basal Membrane Access Gap:** The Huang Lab is developing UV-micropatterned zwitterionic silatrane surfaces featuring 1 µm elevated grids[cite: 1]. These structures physically elevate living cells above the glass substrate, ensuring zero background noise and granting monovalent PAINT probes unrestricted access to membrane proteins like Carbonic Anhydrase IX (CAIX)[cite: 1]. * **Metabolon Perturbation Chemistry:** The collaboration includes synthesizing variable-valency polysuccinimide (PSI) polymers decorated with specific CAIX ligands to manipulate protein clustering and directly link nanoscale mobility with real-time enzymatic output[cite: 1].
