NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

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Synthetic Cells and Organelles with Double Hydrophilic Block Co-polymers: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Model SystemsCells are incredibly complex, making it inherently difficult to elucidate the mechanisms and fundamental properties of living systems. Consequently, the proposed research will be focused on the development of synthetic cell and organelle models that can be used as tools for the study of cellular processes. The proposed research is an interdisciplinary approach to design, develop, and evaluate model systems to mimic cells and organelles. Specifically, novel double hydrophilic co-polymer based polymersomal systems will be synthesized and evaluated for their abilities to encapsulate enzymes while retaining their activity and mimic cellular cytoskeletons. The proposed novelty is not only in making new materials and vesicles but in showing that these systems can make more complex cellular mimics that can combine functional organelles and cytoskeletons.The training objectives include design, synthesis, and characterization of novel hydrophilic block co-polymers using modern radical polymerization methods and evaluate these materials' ability to assemble into organelles and cell-sized vesicles. These cellular mimics will be evaluated on their ability to effectively encapsulate enzymes such that they retain their activity and function as organelles independently and within cells and to grow and contain and actin cytoskeleton and to conduct enzyme cascade reactions. The broader impacts of this work include: development of a series of models and tools that will facilitate the understanding of cell processes and can be used collaboratively by polymer chemists and cell biologists, publication in peer-reviewed journals, and mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students in a research capacity.