en

Department IMMF

Molecular Engineering and Functional Materials

Leader: Olivier Margeat , Co-responsable : Aura Tintaru

Introduction

The research activities of the "Molecular Engineering and Functional Materials" department (IMMF) stand at the interface of chemistry-physics-biology and focus on the synthesis, the physico-chemical characterization and the property studies of organic, inorganic and/or hybrid molecular structures.

These activities are divided around three research themes:

 

Nanomedicine
Biomaterials

 

  • Vectorization

 

  • Bioimaging / Diagnostic

 

  • Therapy

 

Singular conjugated
structures

 

  • Engineering of chromophores and fluorophores

 

  • Molecular switches

 

  • Supramolecular chemistry

 

Surfaces, thin films
& devices

 

  • Assemblies on surface

 

  • Functional coatings

 

  • Optoelectronic devices

 

Publications

2026

A pH-Responsive Cu-Corrole-Based Cage That Reversibly Encapsulates Fullerene in a Shapeshifting Low-Symmetry Cavity

Anna Baidiuk, Tània Pèlachs, Paul-Gabriel Julliard, György Szalóki, Marc Vedrenne, Xavi Ribas, Maylis Orio, Alexandre Martinez, Gabriel Canard, Cédric Colomban

Journal of the American Chemical Society 148:15761-15770 (2026)10.1021/jacs.5c21440

Impact of Co‐Solvents and Additives on the Indoor Stability of Green Solvent‐Processed Organic Solar Cells

Ignacio Ballesteros García, Anass Khodr, Takeshi Watanabe, Hidehiro Sekimoto, Hasan Alkhatib, Donia Fredj, Sadok Ben Dkhil, Carmen Ruiz Herrero, Jean‐jacques Simon, Simon Desbief, Olivier Margeat, Christine Videlot-Ackermann, Judikaël Le Rouzo, Jörg Ackermann

Solar RRL 10:e70373 (2026)10.1002/solr.70373

A Zirconium Aza-BODIPY Derivative as a Near-Infrared Fluorescent/Photoacoustic Imaging Bimodal Probe

Mohamed Bendellaa, Amélie Godard, Charlotte Cave, Ghadir Kalot, Ludmilla Verrieux, Julie Pineau, Maxime Henry, Florian Chotard, Annika Sickinger, Laura Abad Galán, Véronique Josserand, Pierre Le Gendre, Christine Goze, Simon Pascal, Arnaud Fihey, Boris Le Guennic, Olivier Maury, Chantal Andraud, Benoit Busser, Ewen Bodio, Lucie Sancey

Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 69:16949-16963 (2026)10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6c00735

Substituent‐Controlled Ring Opening of 1‐Substituted Benzocyclobutenes: Electronic Structure and Diradical Character of Ortho ‐Quinodimethane Intermediates

Magali Dallegre, Imen Abid, Roselyne Rosas, Maxime Dousset, Gaëlle Chouraqui, Laurent Commeiras, Didier Siri, Didier Gigmes, Anthony Kermagoret

Chemistry - A European Journal (2026)10.1002/chem.202503431

HSP27 functional switch drives castration-resistant prostate cancer via mTOR pathway activation, highlighting promising combination therapies

Quang Hieu Duong, Thi Khanh Le, Thi Thom Tran, Stéphane Audebert, Luc Camoin, Ngan Giang Nguyen, Michael Baboudjian, Sophie Giusiano, Uyen Thi Tu Phan, Souhaila Zaghdoudi, José Adelaide, Virginie Baylot, Martin Gleave, Carmen Garrido, David Taïeb, Palma Rocchi

Journal of experimental & clinical cancer research 45:98 (2026)10.1186/s13046-026-03695-6

Self-assembling supramolecular dendrimers for biomedical applications

Abdechakour Elkihel, Jing Wu, Ling Peng

Comptes Rendus. Chimie 29:321-347 (2026)10.5802/crchim.451

Through Analysis of Thin Films Based on Small-Molecule and Polymer NFA Blends for Photovoltaic Conversion: From Neat Materials to Ternary Systems

A Kramdi, Aral Karahan, Takeshi Watanabe, Hidehiro Sekimoto, Simon Desbief, Gilles Quéléver, Olivier Margeat, Jörg Ackermann, Carmen M Ruiz, Christine Videlot-Ackermann

Physchem 6 (2026)10.3390/physchem6010012

Antioxidant lipid nanoparticles enhance mRNA stability for regeneration therapy and gene editing

Benhao Li, Mengyao Zhao, Bowei Yang, Taihua Yang, Yongling Wang, Yaxin Hu, Miao Zhang, Jiahao Ge, Xianglong Tang, Ze Zhang, Hengqing Cui, Xiaoyuan Chen, Yi Yan Yang, Ling Peng, Qianqian Ni

Nature Communications 17:7166 (2026)10.1038/s41467-026-73512-3

Fluorinated Amphiphilic Dendrimer to Improve PET Imaging of Cancer

Béatrice Louis, Tom Roussel, Twiany Cruz‐dubois, Ling Ding, Zhenbin Lyu, Erik Laurini, Jessica Ou, Laure Balasse, Adrien Chabert, Vincent Nail, Ahlem Bouhlel, Françoise Dignat‐george, Florence Gattacceca, Sabrina Pricl, Benjamin Guillet, Ling Peng, Philippe Garrigue

Small (2026)10.1002/smll.202511972

Amphiphilic poly(aminoester) dendrimers: click reaction–enabled synthesis, structure-governed self-assembly and degradation

Yonghui Ma, Junyue Zheng, Dandan Zhu, Xianhui Lin, Dan Yang, Aoxue Mei, Chi Ma, Haijuan Dong, Ling Peng, Xiaoxuan Liu

Chemical Communications 62:8657-8660 (2026)10.1039/d6cc00300a

Muribaculum intestinale negatively impacts glioma growth in mice through the toll-like receptor 2

Francesco Marrocco, Germana Cocozza, Fabrizio Antonangeli, Rizwan Khan, Giuseppe Pietropaolo, Abdechakour Elkihel, Gabriele Favaretto, Xingzi Lin, Romina Mancinelli, Ludovica Maria Busdraghi, Alice Reccagni, Gianluca Scarno, Mattia Laffranchi, Ling Peng, Valerio Iebba, Silvano Sozzani, Giuseppina D’alessandro, Cristina Limatola, Giuseppe Sciumè

Gut microbes 18 (2026)10.1080/19490976.2026.2623349

Quantitative analysis of oligonucleotide delivery into isolated mitochondria: a proof-of-concept method

Joshua Mchale, Veronica Bazzani, Abdechakour Elkihel, Jing Wu, Ling Peng, Carlo Vascotto

Biotechniques 78:1-11 (2026)10.1080/07366205.2026.2635461

Tetraazapentacene Zwitterion as Visible and Sunlight Photoinitiator for Free Radical Polymerization

Fares Mouhoubi, Elvina Barré, Anaïs Goupille, Davy‐louis Versace, Simon Pascal

ChemPhotoChem 10:e202600010 (2026)10.1002/cptc.202600010

Examination of the Aromatic vs. Coupled Polymethine Character in Dicationic and Neutral Acceptor-Donor-Acceptor Dyes

Benjamin Mourot, Carmelo Naim, Gabriel Canard, Rachel Reboh, Olivier Siri, Denis Jacquemin, Simon Pascal

Journal of Organic Chemistry (2026)10.1021/acs.joc.5c02985

Synthesis and Properties of Cross‐Shaped Donor–Acceptor Dyes: Tunable Emission From Visible to Near‐Infrared in Solution and Solid‐State

Benjamin Mourot, Gabriel Canard, Michel Giorgi, Olivier Siri, Denis Jacquemin, Simon Pascal

European Journal of Organic Chemistry (2026)10.1002/ejoc.70650

Precision chemical engineering of dendrimers for nucleic acid delivery

Qianqian Ni, Donald A Tomalia, Jing Wu, Christina Galanakou, Ling Peng

Nature Reviews Chemistry (2026)10.1038/s41570-026-00855-2

High-Efficiency Thick-Film Organic Cells for Indoor Photovoltaics Printed in Air from Non-Halogenated Solvents

Pavlo Perkhun, Anass Khodr, Yatzil Alejandra Avalos Quiroz, Aral Karahan, Hasan Alkhatib, Anil Kumar Bharwal, David Duché, Jean-Jacques Simon, Carmen M Ruiz Herrero, Takeshi Watanabe, Hidehiro Sekimoto, Noriyuki Yoshimoto, Olivier Margeat, Christine Videlot-Ackermann, Jörg Ackermann

Energies 19:1773 (2026)10.3390/en19071773

Concerted Action of Targeted Nucleic Acid Therapeutics as Flexible, Precision and Personalized Cancer Treatment

Jing Wu, Jiaxuan Chen, Abdechakour Elkihel, Wenjun Lan, Nicolas Fraunhoffer, Dandan Zhu, Baoping Lian, Christina Galanakou, Zhancun Bian, Xi Liu, Odile Gayet, Loic Moubri, Julie Aglietti Roques, Vikash Reebye, Nagy Habib, Xiaoxuan Liu, Nelson Dusetti, Juan Lucio Iovanna, Ling Peng

Advanced Science e76840 (2026)10.1002/advs.76840

2025

Bola-amphiphilic glycodendrimers for targeting glial cells in the brain

Zhancun Bian, Wenzheng Zhang, Stefano Garofalo, Dinesh Dhumal, Junyue Zheng, Tom Roussel, Erik Laurini, Christina Galanakou, Clotilde Lauro, Marc Maresca, Yi Xia, Dandan Zhu, Sabrina Pricl, Xiaoxuan Liu, Cristina Limatola, Ling Peng

Nanoscale (2025)10.1039/d5nr03017j

Correction: Menin inhibition suppresses castration-resistant prostate cancer and enhances chemosensitivity

Chaïma Cherif, Dang Tan Nguyen, Clément Paris, Thi Khanh Le, Thibaud Sefiane, Nadine Carbuccia, Pascal Finetti, Max Chaffanet, Abdessamad El Kaoutari, Julien Vernerey, Ladan Fazli, Martin Gleave, Mohamed Manai, Philippe Barthélémy, Daniel Birnbaum, François Bertucci, David Taïeb, Palma Rocchi

Oncogene 44:4440-4440 (2025)10.1038/s41388-025-03614-7

Blade-Coated All-Polymer Organic Solar Cells with 15% Efficiency Using Eco-Friendly Solvent Systems

Mohamed El Amine Kramdi, Aral Karahan, Lydia Abbassi, Takeshi Watanabe, Hidehiro Sekimoto, Olivier Margeat, Jörg Ackermann, Carmen Ruiz Herrero, Christine Videlot-Ackermann

ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2025)10.1021/acsami.5c12486

Triaminophenaziniums as emerging theranostic agents showing light controlled imaging, cell death and siRNA delivery properties

Laure Lichon, Jean-François Longevial, Tatiana Munteanu, Morgane Daurat, Kamel Hadj-Kaddour, Christophe Nguyen, Magali Gary-Bobo, Olivier Siri

Bioorganic Chemistry 165:108945 (2025)10.1016/j.bioorg.2025.108945

Self-assembling dendrimer nanodrug formulations for decreased hERG-related toxicity and enhanced therapeutic efficacy

Xi Liu, Dinesh Dhumal, Patricia Santofimia-Castaño, Juan Liu, Marion Casanova, Alicia Comino Garcia-Muñoz, Teodora-Adriana Perles-Barbacaru, Abdechakour Elkihel, Wenzheng Zhang, Tom Roussel, Christina Galanakou, Jing Wu, Eleni Zerva, Nelson Dusetti, Yi Xia, Xing-Jie Liang, Angèle Viola, Juan Iovanna, Ling Peng

Science Advances 11 (2025)10.1126/sciadv.adu9948

P-cadherin mechanoactivates tumor-mesothelium metabolic coupling to promote ovarian cancer metastasis

Jing Ma, Sally Kit Yan To, Katie Sze Wai Fung, Kun Wang, Jiangwen Zhang, Alfonso Hing Wan Ngan, Susan Yung, Tak Mao Chan, Carmen Chak Lui Wong, Philip Pun Ching Ip, Ling Peng, Hong-Yan Guo, Chi Bun Chan, Alice Sze Tsai Wong

Cell Reports 44:115096 (2025)10.1016/j.celrep.2024.115096

Synthesis and Properties of Quinoidal (Di-)Anionic Coupled Polymethine-Oxonol Dyes and Their Aromatic Counterparts

Benjamin Mourot, Carmelo Naim, Olivier Siri, Denis Jacquemin, Simon Pascal

Organic Chemistry Frontiers 12:5770-5782 (2025)10.1039/D5QO00801H

Dendrimer engineering to overcome delivery challenges of nucleic acids

Qianqian Ni, Jing Wu, Christina Galanakou, Cheng-Cai Zhang, Donald A Tomalia, Ling Peng

Nature Reviews Bioengineering (2025)10.1038/s44222-025-00347-w

Metastable Macrocyclic Bis‐Meisenheimer Adduct

Simon Pascal, Angélina Torres Ruiz, Aerin Baker, Douglas Vander Griend, Michel Giorgi, Aurélien Planchat, Denis Jacquemin, Olivier Siri

Angewandte Chemie International Edition 64 (2025)10.1002/anie.202511037

Impact of inner hydrophobicity of dendrimer nanomicelles on biodistribution: a PET imaging study

Tom Roussel, Twiany Cruz-Dubois, Beatrice Louis, Erik Laurini, Ling Ding, Laure Balasse, Vincent Nail, Françoise Dignat‐george, Suzanne Giorgio, Sabrina Pricl, Benjamin Guillet, Philippe Garrigue, Ling Peng

Journal of materials chemistry‎ B 13 (2025)10.1039/D4TB01266F

Electron Spin Dynamics of Single and Paired Methyl Radicals at the ZnO Nanoparticle Surface

Adrien Savoyant, D. Marin, Z. Jradi, O. Margeat, S. Bertaina

Journal of Physical Chemistry C 129:9778-9785 (2025)10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c01638

On-surface gold-catalyzed hydroamination/cyclization reaction of alkynes

Bruno de La Torre, Alejandro Jiménez-Martín, Tatiana Munteanu, Qifan Chen, Simon Pascal, Benjamin Mallada, Pingo Mutombo, Olivier Siri, Pavel Jelínek

Materials Chemistry Frontiers (2025)10.1039/D4QM00866A

Financement

Équipe Ackermann 1 Sources et sondes ponctuelles 2 Physique et nano-micro Ingénierie pour le Vivant 1 Équipe Peng Équipe Peng 1

  • 5 ANR contracts

  • 1 Doc2AMU fellowship

  • 1 collaboration contract with Dracula Technologie company

  • 1 AMidex project

  • 1 "Ligue contre le Cancer" labeled team

  • 2 Horizon 2020 contracts

© 2026 CINaM