Ivy Adhesive Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

本研究的目的是研究常春藤（Hedera helix）分泌的有机纳米颗粒的性质，开发天然有机纳米颗粒用于生物医学应用。PI最近发现常春藤分泌纳米颗粒用于表面附着。常春藤纳米颗粒和常春藤分泌的粘多糖的组合的粘附力已在文献中证明是天然表面粘附中单位面积的最大力之一。通过对常春藤纳米粘附剂的作用和化学结构的研究，我们将开发一种天然纳米医用粘附剂。PI先前进行的关于常春藤纳米颗粒的研究已经产生了分离常春藤纳米颗粒的原型方法，并使用原子力显微镜测定纳米颗粒的粘合强度。这些研究表明，粘合剂具有可以转化为用于医用粘合剂的天然纳米颗粒的特性。该提案旨在推进初步研究，完全表征纳米颗粒，了解纳米颗粒的毒性，并研究合成常春藤纳米颗粒的原型方法。本研究的具体目的是1）从英国常春藤的气生根中分离纳米颗粒，2）表征常春藤纳米颗粒的粘附特性和毒性以用于医疗应用，3）研究合成常春藤纳米颗粒的原型方法。目前正在进行大量关于纳米颗粒用于各种生物医学应用的研究，包括靶向药物递送，分子成像和高强度生物材料。通过生物模拟常春藤纳米颗粒在粘合剂中的作用，这项研究介绍了第一种天然有机纳米颗粒，可用于各种生物医学应用，包括医用粘合剂，防晒霜癌症预防和靶向药物输送。目前，几乎所有合成的纳米颗粒都是金属纳米颗粒，在哺乳动物系统中具有固有毒性。生物纳米颗粒将能够避免与金属基纳米颗粒相关的大部分毒性，并扩大纳米颗粒在医学上的应用。此外，这项研究将提供一种从各种生物物种（包括常春藤、茅膏菜和海洋贻贝）中分离纳米颗粒的方法。最后，这项研究将有助于纳米粒子增强聚合物的高强度纳米复合材料的发展，并提供有用的信息，生物方法，创造纳米复合材料的强adhesive.Broader影响：这项研究具有广泛的影响，通过仿生学，naturebased有机纳米粒子制造和生物医学应用的纳米粒子的皮肤癌预防以及药物输送的生物材料设计。制药领域早就认识到观察自然过程的重要性，以找到最简单和最有效的方法来开发药物。生物医学工程正在转向仿生学，以寻找合成和开发复杂纳米结构和医疗器械的方法。这项研究的受益领域包括材料科学、分子生物学、植物生物学、生物工程和纳米医学。这项研究的结果将用于扩展我们的部门课程到纳米医学和仿生学的生物医学工程创新，并被整合到核心生物医学工程研究生课程之一，题为纳米生物系统和仿生学。该项目还将作为初中和高中地方教育推广的基础，并在早期吸引对跨学科科学的兴趣。 这些研究已经鼓励在实验室工作的研究生和本科生学习跨学科课程。我们希望在整个大学开发跨学科课程，目标是培养跨学科的核心研究人员。PI的实验室致力于少数民族学生的培训。

0965877ZhangThe goal of this research is to study properties of organic nanoparticles secreted from English ivy (Hedera helix), and develop a nature-based organic nanoparticle for biomedical applications. It was recently discovered by the PI that ivy secretes nanoparticles for surface affixing. The adhesive force from the combination of the ivy nanoparticles and the mucopolysaccharide secreted from ivy has been demonstrated in the literature to be one of the largest forces per area in natural surface adhesion. By characterizing the role and discovering the chemical structure of the ivy adhesive nanoparticles, we will develop a nature-based nanoparticle for medical adhesive. Previous research undertaken by the PI regarding ivy nanopartciles has led to a prototype method to isolate the ivy nanoparticles, and to determine the adhesive strength of the nanoparticles using atomic force microscopy. These studies indicated that the adhesive had properties that could be translated into a nature-based nanoparticle for medical adhesive. This proposal aims to advance the preliminary studies, to completely characterize the nanoparticles, to understand toxicity of the nanoparticles and to investigate a prototype approach for synthesizing the ivy nanoparticles. The specific aims of this research are to 1) isolate nanoparticles from aerial rootlets of English ivy, 2) characterize the adhesive properties and toxicity of the ivy nanoparticles for medical applications, and 3) investigate a prototype approach for synthesizing the ivy nanoparticles.Intellectual Merit: A great amount of research is currently being undertaken on the use of nanoparticles for a variety of biomedical applications including targeted drug delivery, molecular imaging and high strength biomaterials. By biomimicking the role of ivy nanoparticles for adhesive, this research introduces the first nature-based organic nanoparticle that can be used for a variety of biomedical applications including medical adhesive, sunscreen cancer prevention and targeted drug delivery. At present, nearly all nanoparticles synthesized are metal nanoparticles that have inherent toxicity in mammalian systems. A biological nanoparticle will be able to avoid much of the toxicity associated with metal-based nanoparticles and expand the application of nanoparticles to medicine. In addition, this research will provide a protocol approach for isolating nanoparticles from a variety of biological species including ivy, sundew and marine mussels. Finally, this research will contribute to the development of nanoparticle enhanced polymers for high strength nanocomposites, and provide useful information on a biological method for creating nanocomposite for strong adhesives.Broader Impacts: This research has broad impacts on biomaterial design through biomimetics, naturebased organic nanoparticle manufacturing and biomedical applications of nanoparticles for skin cancer prevention as well as drug delivery. Pharmaceutical fields have long recognized the importance of observing natural processes, to find the simplest and the most efficient way to develop drugs. Biomedical engineering is turning to biomimetics for finding ways to synthesize and develop complex nanostructure and devices for medicine. The fields benefitted by this research include material sciences, molecular biology, plant biology, bioengineering and nanomedicine. The results of this research will be used to extend our departmental curricula into nanomedicine and biomimetics for biomedical engineering innovation, and to be integrated into one of the core biomedical engineering graduate courses entitled nano bio-systems and biomimetics. This project will also be used as a foundation for local educational outreach in middle and high schools, and to draw interest into interdisciplinary sciences at early ages. Already these studies have encouraged both graduate students and undergraduates working in the labs to take interdisciplinary courses. We expect to develop an interdisciplinary curriculum across the university with the goal of training an interdisciplinary core of researchers. The PI's lab commits strongly to minority student training.