IDR: Coupling Theory and Experiment to Quantify Biomolecule-Nanomaterial Interactions

该奖项的研究目标是开发测量方法和理论模型来解释生物分子（如蛋白质和DNA）与精细尺度或纳米材料之间的相互作用。这些知识对于科学和工程基础的发展至关重要，无论是对于设计采用生物分子-纳米材料混合的疗法，还是对于理解纳米材料对健康可能产生的有害影响。所采取的方法将是在实验和理论中开发和使用互补的工具。该项目最初将专注于定义良好的核酸-碳纳米管系统，并将(i)测量将单个生物分子从单个纳米颗粒分离所需的力，（ii）开发理论模型，将原始实验测量转化为基本物理特性，以及（iii）研究生物分子和纳米颗粒在模拟细胞环境中的结合和竞争。如果成功，这项研究的好处将是产生基本的定量数据，揭示控制生物分子和纳米材料之间相互作用的潜在原理，并提出通过化学修饰来操纵它们的方法。这些信息对于使用新的混合结构设计新疗法至关重要。例如，定量地了解治疗性生物分子和碳纳米管之间的结合强度，将允许设计依赖于使用这种纳米材料作为载体的药物递送的疗法。同样，这项研究的结果将有助于建立一个框架，以理解纳米材料与人类细胞中的生物分子之间的基本相互作用，并预测潜在的有害影响。该奖项还将通过与当地科学博物馆合作，支持开展非正式科学教育，向公众介绍纳米材料对健康影响的机理基础及其在生物医学中的潜在应用。

The research objective of this award is to develop methods to measure, and theoretical models to interpret, the interaction between biological molecules, such as proteins and DNA, and fine-scale or nano-materials. This knowledge will be fundamental for the development of the scientific and engineering basis, both for the design of therapies that employ biomolecule-nanomaterial hybrids, and for understanding of the possible deleterious effects of nanomaterials on health. The approach taken will be to develop and employ complementary tools in experiment and theory. The project will initially focus on the well-defined nucleic acid-carbon nanotube system and will (i) measure forces required to detach single biological molecules from individual nanoparticles, (ii) develop theoretical models to convert raw experimental measurements into fundamental physical properties, and (iii) study binding and competition between biomolecules and nanoparticles in a simulated cellular environment. If successful, the benefits of this research will be to generate fundamental quantitative data, to uncover underlying principles that govern the interaction between biological molecules and nanomaterials, and to suggest ways to manipulate them through chemical modifications. Such information is critical for the design of novel therapies using new hybrid constructs. For example, knowing quantitatively the strength of binding between a therapeutic biological molecule and a carbon nanotube will permit the design of therapies that rely on the delivery of the drug using this nanomaterial as a carrier. Similarly, the results of this research will help to develop the framework for understanding the basic interactions between nanomaterials and the biological molecules in human cells and for predicting potentially harmful effects. This award will also support, through collaboration with a local science museum, the development of informal science education for the general public about the mechanistic basis of the health effects of nanomaterials and their potential applications in biomedicine.