RESEARCH INTERESTS

The Pierre Research Lab employs coordination and supramolecular chemistry to solve medical and environmental problems.  We design unique metal-based receptors to modernize dialysis and treat hyperphosphatemia - a condition affecting millions of patients with kidney diseases. As part of our environmental efforts, we are designing new complexes, supramolecular receptors and polymeric membranes that can directly capture carbon dioxide from oceans. We are developing the fundamental chemistry to develop new technology to catch pollutants from lakes and rivers. Our goals is to capture, transport, sequester and transform environmental anions such as bicarbonate and PFOA from aqueous media.

Our bioinorganic approach to DNA-templated synthesis enables the efficient synthesis of a new class of responsive wireframe coordination polymers and supramolecular super-structures for cell-delivery applications.