Mechanism and Dynamics of Protein Interactions with Polymer Brushes

ID：MPS/dmr/bmat(7623)0804113 PI：Leckband，Deborah ORG：Illinois-Urbana/Champaign标题：蛋白质与聚合物刷相互作用的机制和动力学电学优点：该提案旨在确定控制蛋白质和细胞与生物材料相互作用的工程设计规则。生物材料设计面临的一个核心和持久的问题是蛋白质在材料表面的无控制吸附。目前，对于如何设计一种抗蛋白质涂层，还没有达成普遍的共识。目前知识中的一个主要差距是对水介质中蛋白质吸附到聚合物界面的基本机制的有限理解。没有这些信息，就很难定义控制特定行为的工程方法。这项研究计划将通过结合合成化学和补充实验方法来解决这一知识差距，这些方法探索蛋白质与接枝聚合物相互作用的机制。在目标1中，聚合物梯度将被用作高通量筛选平台，以确定支持蛋白质吸附的聚合物刷特性。在目标2中，荧光技术的组合将作为刷子参数的函数来量化被吸附的蛋白质的扩散系数。在目标3中，用氚蛋白质测量中子反射率将确定被吸附的蛋白质相对于聚合物刷的位置。最后，目标4将量化蛋白质和聚合物之间导致蛋白质吸附行为的吸引力和排斥力的大小和范围。这项工作将有助于加深对蛋白质与聚合物刷子相互作用的理解，并可能推动抗蛋白质吸附和生物污染表面的设计和制备。布罗德影响：该项目的成功将为聚合物刷子涂层保护表面免受不必要的蛋白质吸附的机制提供新的有用的信息。在扩大参与方面，该项目将继续推动科学和工程专业中代表性不足群体的学生参与研究工作。这些努力将包括将女性和代表性不足的少数族裔纳入研究生水平的研究，并参与为少数族裔本科生提供参与研究机会的暑期研究机会方案。

ID: MPS/DMR/BMAT(7623) 0804113 PI: Leckband, Deborah ORG: Illinois-Urbana/ChampaignTitle: Mechanism and Dynamics of Protein Interactions with Polymer BrushesINTELLECTUAL MERIT: The proposal aims to identify engineering design rules for controlling protein and cell interactions with biomaterials. A central and persistent problem confronting biomaterials design is the uncontrolled adsorption of proteins to material surfaces. There is currently no general consensus on how to design a protein-resistant coating. A major gap in current knowledge is the limited understanding of the basic mechanisms of protein adsorption to polymer interfaces in aqueous media. Absent this information, it is difficult to define engineering approaches to control specific behavior. This research plan will address this knowledge gap by using a combination of synthetic chemistry and complementary experimental approaches that probe the mechanisms by which proteins interact with grafted polymers. In Objective 1, polymer gradients will be used as high throughput screening platforms to identify polymer brush properties that support protein adsorption. In Objective 2, a combination of fluorescence techniques will quantify the diffusivity of adsorbed proteins as a function of the brush parameters. In Objective 3, neutron reflectivity measurements with deuterated proteins will determine where adsorbed proteins localize relative to the polymer brush. Finally, Objective 4 will quantify the magnitude and range of attractive and repulsive forces between proteins and polymers that are responsible for protein adsorption behavior. The work will help to develop an understanding of the interactions of proteins with polymer brushes and could advance the design and preparation of surfaces resistant to protein adsorption and biofouling.BROADER IMPACTS: Success of this project will shed new and useful light on the mechanisms by which polymer brush coatings may protect surfaces from unwanted protein adsorption. With respect to broadening participation, the project will continue the PI's on-going efforts to involve students from underrepresented groups in science and engineering in the research endeavor. These efforts will include inclusion of females and underrepresented minorities in graduate level research and participation in the Summer Research Opportunity Program that provides opportunities for minority undergraduate students to participate in research.