Understanding the Interactions between Carbon Nanotubes and Cellular Membranes

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).0853759Striolo Nanotechnology is now accepted as one of the greatest areas for technological innovation and economical advancement. Its worldwide societal impact has been quantified in 2 million workers who will produce nanotechnology-based products worth $1 trillion per year by 2015. Some of these products are already entering our everyday life. This pervasive influence is however raising some concerns, primarily because the health and safety effects of nanomaterials have not been satisfactorily assessed. The House of Representatives responded to these concerns, and in June passed the 'National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008', with the intent of refocusing nanotechnology research on assessing environmental, health, and safety (EHS) aspects of nanomaterials. This proposal stems as a response to this request. At the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering of the University of Oklahoma a large group of researchers is currently investigating possible applications of carbon nanotubes, the material that, more than any other, gave impulse to the nanotechnological revolution. Thus this project focuses on carbon nanotubes, with the goal of assessing possible interactions between carbon nanotubes and cellular membranes. The researchers propose to investigate through a synergistic theoretical (by molecular dynamics simulations) and experimental approach the permeation of phospholipid membranes by pristine and functionalized carbon nanotubes. They will investigate fundamental phenomena such as the adsorption of nanotubes on the membrane surface. They will estimate the role of adsorption in the membrane penetration mechanism and investigate how to prevent it. At the same time, they will study potential forms of utilizing the adsorption of nanotubes for drug delivery.The successful completion of the present project will allow an understanding of why carbon nanotubes can, in some cases, penetrate very effectively cellular membranes, and therefore learn how to employ this novel material in a number of biomedical applications including gene therapy, while preventing side effects. In addition, because their experiments require stable carbon nanotubes in aqueous media, they will contribute to better understand and quantify the effect of functional groups on carbon nanotubes aggregation. This remains one of the primary hurdles that prevent the wide applicability of carbon nanotubes in a number of products.The State of Oklahoma, through the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative, is heavily investing in nanotechnology by supporting local companies and by conducting extensive education among the broad public. Taking advantage of this widespread awareness, the present project will attract local high school students to STEM careers. They have established connections with Norman High School where they will deliver presentations. They have also established connections with local colleges (Cameron University and Northeastern State University) that serve large Native American student populations, one of the most underrepresented minority groups in STEM disciplines. They will offer summer internship programs to students from those colleges.