I-Corps: CELLDIPS-Cell Discovery Platforms for commercial and educational applications

I-Corps：适用于商业和教育应用的 CELLDIPS-细胞发现平台

• 批准号: 1463098
• 负责人: Mark DeCoster
• 金额: $ 5万
• 依托单位: Louisiana Tech University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-12-01 至 2016-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1463098&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Corps; CELLDIPS; Cell; Discovery; Platforms

Cells are the basis of our whole bodies, and also communicate with each other. Therefore, cells contain many lessons about populations, change, and adaptations. Developing an artificial cell product that gains entrance into the classrooms of students will benefit their learning and provide expanded choices of teaching tools. More advance artificial cell platforms may impact applied and basic research sectors by also providing expanded choices for looking at dynamic processes. This project aims to commercialize artificial (manufactured) cells and cell platforms for educational, research, and industry needs. The technology will include the use of 3D printers to make these artificial cells, since these printers are becoming increasingly available and cost-effective for construction purposes. The technology developed in this project will be paired with educational and visualization software so that the artificial cells will provide hands-on experiments and testing to students, assisted by the software learning tools. Due to the complex nature and cost of living cells, this artificial cell technology is needed to cost-effectively teach students the dynamics of cellular processes and at the same time let them carry out experiments and test ideas. The technological components of this project will utilize 3D printers to make artificial cells that are hollow and structured to allow for visualization and testing of the dynamic processes of cells in aqueous environments. Plastics will be the initial materials base, since they can be 3D printed, but other materials will also be incorporated into the platforms such as dyes and chemicals that will define the dynamic processes. The artificial cell kits will also include instructional and experimental software based on "predator-prey" and other dynamic processes that will guide experimentation and testing. Constructed artificial cells will be generated initially that are large enough to be held and visualized with digital cameras without the need of microscopes. Future generations of artificial cells will include dynamic processes for more advanced testing to include fluorescence- and microscopy- based measurements. Ultimately a technology "library" of artificial cells and cell components is envisioned for learning and research tools.

细胞是我们整个身体的基础，也是相互联系的。因此，细胞包含了许多关于种群、变化和适应的课程。开发一种进入学生课堂的人造细胞产品将有利于他们的学习，并提供更多的教学工具选择。更先进的人工细胞平台可能还会通过提供更多的选择来观察动态过程，从而影响应用和基础研究部门。该项目旨在将人工(制造的)细胞和细胞平台商业化，以满足教育、研究和工业需求。这项技术将包括使用3D打印机来制造这些人造细胞，因为这些打印机越来越多地用于建筑目的，而且成本效益高。该项目开发的技术将与教育和可视化软件配对，以便人工细胞将在软件学习工具的帮助下向学生提供动手实验和测试。由于活细胞的复杂性质和成本，需要这种人造细胞技术来经济高效地向学生传授细胞过程的动力学，同时让他们进行实验和测试想法。该项目的技术部分将利用3D打印机制造中空和结构化的人造细胞，以允许可视化和测试细胞在水环境中的动态过程。塑料将是最初的材料基础，因为它们可以被3D打印，但其他材料也将被加入到定义动态过程的平台中，如染料和化学品。人造细胞工具包还将包括基于“捕食者-猎物”的教学和实验软件，以及指导实验和测试的其他动态过程。构建的人造细胞最初将被产生，这些细胞足够大，可以用数码相机持有并在不需要显微镜的情况下可视化。未来一代的人造细胞将包括更先进的测试的动态过程，包括基于荧光和显微镜的测量。最终，一个人造细胞和细胞组件的技术“库”被设想为学习和研究工具。