A team of scientists from Korea University and Seoul National University have teamed up and developed penicillamine-modified gold nanoparticles and used them to enantioselectively recognise 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA).
DOPA is a precursor to the neurotransmitters dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline collectively known as catecholamines. Aside from its natural and essential biological role, DOPA is also used in the clinical treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Want to know more? Jong Seung Kim, Hasuck Kim et. al., have published this work in Chemical Communications, which you can read and access for free until the 14th September (2010).
