Design of attractors for enhanced sensitivity biosensing

我们将在纳米尺度上研究生物粒子的非线性动力学，以设计高灵敏度的生物传感器。通过进行这样的研究，我们可以改进的物理过程包括：1)用于检测和反应的分子聚焦；2)用于分子分选的分离方法。该提案的基本思想是利用动力系统理论设计的水动力和电磁力的组合，可以实现亚微米尺度生物颗粒的捕获和分离方法。我们将重点研究在介电泳生物分子操纵中的应用，其中粒子上的力是由空间非均匀的交流电电场和诱导流体流动产生的。然而，该理论的动力系统方面预计将对具有电磁场和流体流动的粒子操纵的使能技术产生更广泛的影响。特别是，利用电磁场和流体流动在纳米尺度上操纵和检测材料和工艺，将实现重大医疗技术突破和生物恐怖安全方面的进步。然而，目前可用的设备的准确性、速度和灵敏度还没有达到允许这种突破的水平。缺乏质量的部分原因是由于缺乏对过程和运动的非线性动力学在微纳米尺度的理解。在我们的工作中，我们将提供这样一种理解，这将最终使开发快速、小型化的生物毒素检测设备成为可能。我们的研究结果还将影响即时诊断领域的发展，医生将能够根据“脸颊拭子”进行简单的检查，并在几分钟内告诉他们是否使用抗生素（以及使用哪种抗生素）。拟议项目的更广泛影响包括对小组成员的跨学科教育。我们正在计划一些教育活动，我们研究的一些生物技术问题将在该地区的K-8和高中水平的学生中普及。

We will study nonlinear dynamics of bioparticles at nanoscale for the purpose of design of enhanced sensitivity biosensors. The physical processes that we can improve by pursuing such a study include 1) molecular focusing for purposes of detection and reaction and 2) separation methods for molecular sorting. The essential idea of the proposal is that a combination of hydrodynamic and electromagnetic forces, designed using dynamical systems theory, can enable trapping and separation methods for submicron scale bioparticles. We will focus our study on applications in dielectrophoretic biomolecule manipulation where forces on particles are generated by spatially nonhomogeneous alternating current electric fields and induced fluid flows. However, the dynamical systems aspects of the theory are projected to have broader impact to enabling technologies for manipulation of particles with electromagnetic fields and fluid flows.In particular, major medical technology breakthroughs and advances in security against bioterror will be enabled by the use of electromagnetic fields and fluid flows for manipulation and detection of materials and processes at the nanometer scale. However, the accuracy, speed and sensitivity of the currently available devices is not at the level that allows for such breakthroughs. The lack of quality is in part due to the lack of understanding of nonlinear dynamics of processes and motions at micro- and nanoscale. In our work we will provide such an understanding that will ultimately enable development of fast, miniaturized devices for detection of biotoxins. Our results will also impact developments in the area of point-of-care diagnostics, where medical doctors will be able to perform a simple check based on the "cheek swab" that can tell them whether to administer an antibiotic (and which one, at that) or not in the matter of minutes. The broader impact of the proposed project includes interdisciplinary education of the members of the group. We are planning several educational activities where some of the biotechnology issues that we study will be popularized for K-8 and high-school level students in the region.