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photo of Dr. John Matson

Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry

Program Focus

Our lab focuses on developing new materials to address problems in biology and medicine, energy, and the environment. With a focus on synthetic small molecule and polymer chemistry, we aim to synthesize, characterize, and test these new materials in an interdisciplinary and collaborative manner. Current research efforts include:

  • Developing methods for the delivery of hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a biologically vital signaling agent. To this end we have developed small molecule H2S donors, polymers capable of sustained H2S release, and hydrogels that have the ability to localize H2S delivery.
  • Synthesizing bottlebrush polymers, which are unique polymers that have potential applications resulting in a reduction of energy usage in a variety of systems.
  • Preparing high performance polymers that are bio- and photodegradable. These materials are based on synthetic polymers and naturally occurring polymers such as polysaccharides.
  • Investigating dendritic peptides with thermoresponsive properties. These high molecular weight, highly branched peptides may find use in biomaterials for tissue engineering and drug delivery.

Selected Publications

Powell, C. R.; Dillon, K. M.; Wang, Y.; Carrazzone, R. J. Matson, J. B.* “A Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)-Responsive Persulfide Donor: Insights into Reactivity and Therapeutic Potential” Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2018, 57, 6324-6328. doi: 10.1002/anie.201803087

Foster, J. C.; Radzinski, S. C.; Zou, X.; Finkielstein, C. V.; Matson, J. B.* “H2S-Releasing Polymer Assemblies for Studying Selective Cell Toxicity” Mol. Pharm. 2017, 14, 1300-1306. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6b01117

Powell, C. R.; Foster, J. C.; Okyere, B.; Theus, M. H.; Matson, J. B.* “Therapeutic Delivery of H2S via COS: Small Molecule and Polymeric Donors with Benign Byproducts” J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 13477-13480. doi: 10.1021/jacs.6b07204