Understanding the Interactions between Carbon Nanotubes and Cellular Membranes

了解碳纳米管和细胞膜之间的相互作用

• 批准号: 0853759
• 负责人: Alberto Striolo
• 金额: $ 38万
• 依托单位: University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-08-01 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0853759&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Understanding; Interactions; between; Carbon; Nanotubes

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.

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。0853759 Striolo纳米技术现在被认为是技术创新和经济进步的最大领域之一。 其全球社会影响已经量化，到2015年，每年将有200万工人生产价值1万亿美元的纳米技术产品。 其中一些产品已经进入我们的日常生活。然而，这种普遍的影响引起了一些关注，主要是因为纳米材料的健康和安全影响尚未得到令人满意的评估。 众议院对这些问题做出了回应，并于6月通过了“2008年国家纳米技术倡议修正案”，旨在将纳米技术研究的重点重新放在评估纳米材料的环境，健康和安全（EHS）方面。 本提案就是对这一要求的回应。 在俄克拉荷马州大学化学、生物和材料工程学院，一大批研究人员目前正在研究碳纳米管的可能应用，这种材料比其他任何材料都更能推动纳米技术革命。因此，该项目的重点是碳纳米管，目标是评估碳纳米管和细胞膜之间可能的相互作用。 研究人员建议通过协同理论（通过分子动力学模拟）和实验方法研究原始和功能化碳纳米管对磷脂膜的渗透。 他们将研究基本现象，如纳米管在膜表面的吸附。 他们将评估吸附在膜渗透机制中的作用，并研究如何防止它。同时，他们将研究利用纳米管吸附进行药物输送的潜在形式。本项目的成功完成将使人们了解为什么碳纳米管在某些情况下可以非常有效地渗透细胞膜，并因此学习如何在包括基因治疗在内的许多生物医学应用中使用这种新材料，同时防止副作用。 此外，由于他们的实验需要在水介质中稳定的碳纳米管，他们将有助于更好地理解和量化官能团对碳纳米管聚集的影响。 这仍然是阻碍碳纳米管在许多产品中的广泛应用的主要障碍之一。俄克拉荷马州通过俄克拉荷马州纳米技术倡议，通过支持当地公司和在广大公众中进行广泛的教育，正在大力投资纳米技术。 利用这种广泛的认识，本项目将吸引当地高中生从事STEM职业。 他们与诺曼高中建立了联系，在那里他们将发表演讲。 他们还与当地大学（卡梅隆大学和东北州立大学）建立了联系，这些大学为大量美国原住民学生提供服务，而美国原住民是STEM学科中代表性最低的少数群体之一。 他们将为这些大学的学生提供暑期实习计划。