EAGER: Nanoelectromechanical system for in situ measurement of cell surface charge

EAGER：用于原位测量细胞表面电荷的纳米机电系统

• 批准号: 1343069
• 负责人: Cagri Savran
• 金额: $ 15万
• 依托单位: Purdue University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-07-01 至 2015-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1343069&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Nanoelectromechanical; system; situ; measurement

Objective: The objective of this proposal is to develop a system that can perform in situ and on demand detection of surface charge of single cells. To achieve this objective we will fabricate ananomechanical system with a controlled amount of charge at its tip. Upon an electrostatic interaction with a cell, the structure will deflect in a manner that is proportional to the surface charge of the cell. Since the interaction could potentially have other constituents such as Van der Waals and hydration forces, these effects will be deconvoluted by varying the amount of charge on the cantilever, and hence only measuring the electrostatic interactions. The PI will investigate the extent of surface charge density on a number of cancer cell lines and compare the results with normal cells. He will also weigh the individual cells using the same electromechanical system and investigate the correlation between surface charge and mass density.Intellectual Merit: Investigation of electrical properties of cells has been important for a long time. Recent studies show that cancer researchers are increasingly interested in correlating phenotype with electrical properties. Here the PI proposes a system that can interrogate a particular cell identified by the user on demand under the microscope. In addition, the system can be used to hover above a group of cells immobilized on a surface or interrogate a section of a larger tissue sample. The versatility of the system also allows it to serve as a mass sensor. Hence, the cells interrogated for their electrical properties can be grabbed by a micro-tweezer and placed on the tip of the electromechanical system for on demand weighing, allowing correlation of electrical properties with mass density.Broader Impacts: Cells have an enormous amount of information packed within their intracellular organelles that code for the gene products expressed on the cell surface membrane and the structures in the cell periphery. Membranes and membrane surfaces have attracted the attention of many scientists for centuries. The cell surface membrane is involved in a wide variety of interactions of the cell with its environment, which are of considerable interest in health and disease. The system proposed here can be extremely useful not only in studying electrical surface properties of a wide variety of cells but also performing these studies under a wide range of conditions. If successful, the project could make a broad impact in cancer research by in situ electrical analysis of particular cells. The PI will choose his PhD student from a minority student body. Prof. Savran teaches courses related to systems and measurements to engineering students. He frequently integrates interdisciplinary examples into an otherwise traditional curriculum. The findings of this study will also be shared with undergraduate students and used as examples in class, in homework and projects.

目的：本提案的目的是开发一种系统，可以进行原位和按需检测的表面电荷的单细胞。为了实现这一目标，我们将制造ananomechanical系统与控制量的电荷在其尖端。在与细胞静电相互作用时，该结构将以与细胞的表面电荷成比例的方式偏转。由于相互作用可能有其他成分，如货车范德华力和水合力，这些影响将通过改变悬臂上的电荷量来解卷积，因此只测量静电相互作用。PI将研究许多癌细胞系的表面电荷密度范围，并将结果与正常细胞进行比较。他还将使用相同的机电系统对单个细胞进行称重，并研究表面电荷和质量密度之间的相关性。智力优势：长期以来，对细胞电特性的研究一直很重要。最近的研究表明，癌症研究人员越来越感兴趣的相关表型与电特性。在这里，PI提出了一种系统，可以在显微镜下询问用户根据需要识别的特定细胞。此外，该系统可用于悬停在固定在表面上的一组细胞上方或询问较大组织样本的切片。该系统的多功能性还允许其用作质量传感器。因此，可以用微型镊子抓取被询问其电学性质的细胞，并将其放置在机电系统的尖端上进行按需称重，从而使电学性质与质量密度相关联。更广泛的影响：细胞内细胞器中包含大量的信息，这些信息编码细胞表面膜和细胞周边结构上表达的基因产物。几个世纪以来，膜和膜表面吸引了许多科学家的注意力。细胞表面膜参与细胞与其环境的各种相互作用，这些相互作用在健康和疾病中具有相当大的意义。这里提出的系统可以是非常有用的，不仅在研究各种各样的细胞的电表面特性，但也进行这些研究在广泛的条件下。如果成功，该项目将通过对特定细胞进行原位电分析，对癌症研究产生广泛影响。PI将从少数民族学生中选择他的博士生。Savran教授为工程专业的学生教授与系统和测量相关的课程。他经常将跨学科的例子整合到传统的课程中。这项研究的结果也将与本科生分享，并作为课堂，作业和项目的例子。