NER: Directed Microelectronic Interfacing with Living Cells via Nanocrystal Quantum Dots

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0303442SchmidtThis proposal was received in response to Nanoscale Science and Engineering initiative, NSF 02-148, category NER. The objectives of this proposal are to develop and characterize an exploratory system integrating microelectronic device technology and semiconductor quantum dots interfaced with living neurons via specific receptors on the cell surface. These nanometer-scale devices could be used to treat receptor and neurotransmitter based diseases (e.g., Parkinson's), as well as to produce entirely new kinds of bio-electronic devices (e.g., neural memory circuits). Semiconductor quantum dots (qdots) typically range between 2 and 10 nm in diameter and when surface-passivated, they can be dispersed in a variety of solvents, including aqueous environments. These electronic materials possess unique optical and electrical properties due to their small size. When excited, they display increased dipole moments, electron transfer, and thermal interactions, as compared to bulk materials. The qdots can be surface-functionalized with various molecular recognition molecules (e.g., peptides and antibodies) and their high fluorescence quantum yield (brightness) facilitates the investigation of qdot-cell receptor attachment. The qdot-cell device will serve as a first generation receptor-scale prosthetic. Subsequent devices will be designed to interact with specific ion channels. In the future, receptor-based devices could provide local treatment to individual ion channels causing them to increase or decrease productivity, thus providing another treatment option for receptor-based diseases.