MRI: Acquisition of a Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy System for Interdisciplinary Research and Research Training

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This award is supported by the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) and the Chemistry Research Instrumentation (CRIF) Programs. Professor Yixian Wang from California State University Los Angeles and colleagues Jamil Momand, Edith Porter, Jing Zhao, as well as Fangyuan Tian from California State University Long Beach have acquired a surface plasmon resonance microscope (SPRM). This microscope can be used to study, for example, how proteins bind to the membrane of a single cell. The microscope operates by shining a light source at a sensor chip or metal plate. The light interacts with the metal plate to excite electrons and modify the light which is reflected to a detector. This is the so-called surface plasmon signal. When a sample to be studied is added, the surface plasmon signal is changed and data such as the interaction of a protein with a cell membrane can be evaluated. This technique can also be used to study how nanomaterials interact with cancer cells. It can shed light on drug delivery systems. Other applications range from environmental science to food quality and safety. The instrument is used by undergraduates and graduate student in their research projects providing training in future careers in chemical and biological analysis. This is the first SPRM instrument in the Los Angeles area. The award of this surface plasmon resonance microscope is aimed at enhancing research and education at all levels. It especially aids studies of protein binding kinetics studies at multiple and single cell membranes and the search for real-time interaction between antimicrobial effector molecules and bacterial surfaces. The microscope is essential for the exploration of medicine delivery on iron-containing metal-organic framework thin films and for engineering nanomaterials interaction and uptake in cells. It also helps investigators in the determination of real-time electrochemical, redox active species release from cells and protein arrays during exocytosis and in rice protein arrays.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.