From Molecular Self-Assembly to Enzyme Mimics

Pijush Singh’s path to Tel Aviv University began in 2018, when his grandmother passed away from Alzheimer’s disease and he became interested in the molecular processes behind neurodegenerative conditions. 

As he read more deeply into research on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and related fields, he repeatedly came across the work of Professor Ehud Gazit of Tel Aviv University. 

At the same time, Singh was developing his expertise in supramolecular chemistry during his doctorate, studying how molecules organize themselves into larger structures through interactions rather than conventional chemical bonds. His research focused on modified aromatic amino acids and the supramolecular biomaterials they can form, including self-assembled and hydrogel systems, alongside work with peptide-based materials and amyloid-forming sequences. 

When the opportunity to join Gazit’s lab came, Singh says the decision was straightforward. 

“It was amazing, because for the previous five years I had been thinking about this lab.”

Singh is also a 2025/26 recipient of a Harry Bloomfield International Scholarship, awarded by TAU to outstanding postdoctoral fellows from around the world to support their research at the University.

Learning from Enzymes, Building with Chemistry 

The Gazit Lab works across biology, chemistry, physics and materials science, with projects spanning molecular self-assembly, amyloid structures, nanobiotechnology and metabolite assemblies. Much of its work examines how simpler molecular systems can reproduce functions associated with far more complex biological structures. 

Singh’s postdoctoral project focuses on developing metabolite-metal-based self-assembled materials that mimic enzyme activity. Natural enzymes accelerate the chemical reactions required for living systems. Singh is trying to recreate the small catalytic region responsible for that activity. “Our goal is to mimic the active site of an enzyme,” Singh explains.

“An enzyme is a very large structure, but there is a particular area, which we call the active site, that is responsible for the reaction. We try to mimic this active site using chemistry and then apply it to different types of reactions.” 

The challenge is recreating enough molecular complexity to reproduce useful catalytic behavior. 

“If you want to bind one type of ligand to one metal center, it is relatively easy,”. “But if you want to mimic the active site of an enzyme properly, you need different types of molecules around the metal center and need to maintain proper environment” 

His work is part of the Gazit Lab’s Meta² Zymes project, which investigates combinations of metabolites and metal ions that can self-assemble into catalytic structures analogous to the active sites of natural metalloenzymes. One objective is to develop catalysts that retain useful characteristics of enzymes while offering greater operational stability. 

From Biological Inspiration to Environmental Questions 

For Singh, one attraction of building simplified enzyme-like systems is the ability to examine and adjust their chemistry more readily than within the complexity of a living cell. 

“Enzymes are present in very small amounts, but their activity is very high. My idea is that a small amount of material could eventually help degrade pollutants or other harmful substances.”

He points to something familiar from India as an example. “In India, during Holi, people use huge amounts of colored dyes,” Singh says. “If we could make a system that could help degrade this type of pollutant, that would be one application.” 

For now, Singh is working on fundamental chemistry and determining what the materials he develops can actually do.

The Freedom to Follow an Idea 

For Singh, joining the lab has also brought greater independence in choosing which scientific questions to pursue. 

“Professor Gazit is someone who always gives positive motivation. He has given me the freedom to explore my own ideas, which is essential for good research. The best line from Prof. Gazit for me is, ‘You are independent. You need to think about what you want to do.’ I really enjoy that.”

Years after first encountering Gazit’s research from India, Singh is now pursuing the questions that drew him to Tel Aviv: how biological complexity can be reduced to its essential components, rebuilt through chemistry and potentially applied in new ways. 

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