To enhance graduate education and advance its high-quality development, the School of Pharmacy hosted a lecture on March 13 by Wu Changzhu, a tenured professor and doctoral advisor at the University of Southern Denmark. Titled "Enhancing Living Cell Cascade Biochemistry with Multifunctional Polymer Coatings," the session was chaired by Dean Wei Yuan and attended by over 50 faculty and students from the School of Pharmacy.

Wu Changzhu highlighted that live cell modification and catalysis technology, as cutting-edge research in modern biocatalysis, has become a hot topic in interdisciplinary studies spanning pharmacy, chemistry, and bioscience. Addressing the challenges of poor catalyst compatibility and recycling difficulties in current chemical enzyme-linked catalysis, he presented research progress on functionalizing live cells with synthetic polymers to construct efficient cascade catalytic systems. He elaborated on the process of engineering cells with both photocatalytic and enzymatic functions using atomic transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technology to modify photosensitizer monomers onto the surface of Escherichia coli cells. Experimental results demonstrated that the polymer coating significantly enhanced cellular tolerance, achieving over 90% survival rate under ultraviolet radiation, tripled stability at 60°C, and maintained fivefold catalytic activity in organic solvents like n-hexane. Furthermore, the system achieved a 15-fold yield increase in benzaldehyde cleavage enzyme (BAL)-mediated chemical enzyme-linked reactions. By integrating photocatalytic and enzymatic modules, it exhibited exceptional recyclability, retaining over 85% catalytic activity after five reuse cycles.

This academic lecture focused on live cell modification and the development of high-efficiency cascade catalytic systems, deepening the faculty and students 'understanding of this cutting-edge technology's applications and significance, while fostering a vibrant academic atmosphere. Participants unanimously expressed their profound learning outcomes and highly commended Professor Wu's research achievements.