Analytical Microscopy Methods for Characterizing Lipid Vesicles and Bilayers

化学学部的化学测量和成像（CMI）和生命过程化学（CLP）项目支持犹他大学的Joel M. Harris教授开发表征脂质囊泡及其双层膜的组成、结构和功能的新方法。光学捕获共聚焦拉曼显微镜正在被开发用于探测单个脂质囊泡的组成和结构，目的是更好地了解脂质双分子层的结构与其渗透性之间的关系。这反过来又可以控制分子的摄取和释放，从而影响药物输送和痕量分析的应用。目前正在开发荧光显微镜工具来探测固定在玻璃表面的单个脂质囊泡，目的是评估内部pH值和分子运输速率，这些可以作为单分子事件进行检测。这项工作还寻求设计方法来测量小肽与支持的脂质双分子层的关系，以及膜结合肽群的定量测定及其结合和解结合的动力学。这项研究将提供新的途径，以了解脂质膜的结构和功能以及影响它们的过程。这些膜是活细胞的重要组成部分，对它们的理解至关重要，例如，对膜活性药物产品的成功开发至关重要。该研究为光谱学、显微镜学、胶体科学和生物化学的研究生和本科生提供多学科培训。该项目影响了K-12教育和公众意识，通过参与课堂，为盐湖城大都会地区的新科学中心做出贡献，并将新的巡回展览运送到犹他州的农村地区。

The Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) and Chemistry of Life Processes (CLP) programs of the Division of Chemistry support Prof. Joel M. Harris of the University of Utah to develop new approaches to characterizing the composition, structure, and functioning of lipid vesicles and their bilayer membranes. Optical trapping confocal Raman microscopy is being developed to probe the composition and structure of individual lipid vesicles, with an aim to better understand the relationship between the structure of the lipid bilayer and its permeability. This in turn may provide control over molecular uptake and release, which impact drug delivery and trace analysis applications. Fluores¬cence microscopy tools are being developed to probe individual lipid vesicles immobilized on glass surfaces, with an aim of assessing internal pH and molecular transport rates, which can be detected as single-molecule events. The work also seeks to devise means to measure the affiliation of small peptides with supported lipid bilayers, and quantitative determina¬tion of membrane-bound peptide populations and their kinetics of binding and unbinding.This research will provide routes to new understanding of the structure and functioning of lipid membranes and the processes that affect them. These membranes are important components of living cells, and their understanding is critical, for example, to the successful development of membrane-active pharmaceutical products. The research provides multidisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students in spectro¬scopy, microscopy, colloid science, and biological chemistry. The project impacts K-12 education and public awareness through involvement in classrooms, contributions to a new science center serving the metropolitan Salt Lake City area, and new touring exhibits that are transported to rural districts of the State of Utah.