权益分类	功能权益	普通用户	{{item.name}}会员
{{category.name}}	{{benefitItem.name}}

CAREER: Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of vesiculation and solute encapsulation of smectic phospholipid films on cellulose

职业：了解纤维素上近晶磷脂膜的囊泡化和溶质封装的基本机制

基本信息

批准号：
1848573
负责人：
Anand Subramaniam
金额：
$ 50.04万
依托单位：
University of California - Merced
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2019
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2019-07-01 至 2025-06-30
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1848573&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
CAREER Understanding fundamental mechanisms vesiculation

项目摘要

Non-technical SummaryThis CAREER award will support an integrated research and education plan to understand the assembly of cell-like vesicles from phospholipid layers on cellulose paper. Nature uses membranes to encapsulate biological cells. Understanding the process in nature and then building vesicles that mimic cell membranes is useful. The vesicles can, for example, be used as microscale chemical reactors or as vehicles for encapsulating and controllably releasing therapeutic drugs. The principal investigator (PI) and his students will investigate the effects of physical parameters such as the temperature, the ionic strength of the solution, and the charge density of the phospholipids on vesicle formation. The research team will study the encapsulation of ionic cargo into the vesicles under differing physical conditions. Experimental data that is gathered will be used to build and test analytical and numerical models to better understand the process of formation of vesicles and the process of encapsulating cargo. The award will also support the PI's efforts to enhance the undergraduate and graduate Bioengineering curricula by designing new hands-on laboratory courses. The PI will create a customizable experimental toolkit, the "SynCell Toolkit", that will be implemented in K-12 classrooms to increase interest in biomaterials research. The award will provide opportunities for research experiences for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in a diverse multidisciplinary environment in the relatively under-served region of Central California.Technical Abstract: Giant vesicles are in vitro constructs that mimic the minimal configuration of biological cells. There is still a lack of a general understanding of the process of vesiculation that leads to giant vesicle formation from surface-supported smectic phospholipid films. This CAREER award will support an integrated research, education, and outreach plan to obtain new knowledge and fundamental insights into the basic process of giant vesicle formation and the encapsulation of solutes in vesicles. A key distinguishing approach of this proposal is the PI's use of a continuum approximation to analyze the evolution of a population of vesicles rather than focusing on analyzing the growth of isolated vesicles. This approach is enabled by two key discoveries in the PI's lab: (1) The discovery of a cellulose-based method for forming giant vesicles, (2) A stopped-growth method for large-scale analysis of images that can characterize the entire population of vesicles from a sample. The PI will achieve his integrated research and educational goals by using a combination of experiments, and analytical and numerical modeling. Research aims include: (1) Understanding the dynamics of vesiculation by studying whole populations of giant vesicles produced on cellulose paper. (2) Deciphering the intermolecular and/or intersurface forces that govern vesiculation by controlled perturbation of double-layer electrostatic forces and membrane undulation forces. (3) Understanding the process of encapsulation of ionic solutes during vesiculation by temporally decoupling the process of growth from the process of loading cargo. The educational and outreach components include: (1) Incorporating laboratory components and new courses designed to foster a mode of inquiry-based learning to the Bioengineering curricula. (2) Developing a customizable "SynCell Toolkit", that will be implemented in K-12 classrooms to encourage K-12 students to pursue careers in STEM. (3) Provide opportunities for research experiences for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.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.

非技术总结这一职业奖项将支持一项综合研究和教育计划，以了解纤维素纸上磷脂层的细胞样囊泡的组装。自然界使用膜来包裹生物细胞。了解自然界中的这一过程，然后构建模拟细胞膜的囊泡是有用的。例如，这些囊泡可以用作微型化学反应器，或用作包裹和可控释放治疗药物的载体。首席研究员(PI)和他的学生将研究物理参数，如温度，溶液的离子强度，以及磷脂的电荷密度对囊泡形成的影响。研究小组将研究在不同物理条件下将离子货物封装到囊泡中的情况。收集到的实验数据将用于建立和测试分析和数值模型，以更好地了解囊泡的形成过程和包裹货物的过程。该奖项还将支持PI通过设计新的动手实验室课程来加强本科生和研究生生物工程课程的努力。PI将创建一个可定制的实验工具包--“Syncell工具包”，该工具包将在K-12课堂上实施，以提高人们对生物材料研究的兴趣。该奖项将为高中生、本科生和研究生提供在相对缺乏服务的加州中部地区多样化的多学科环境中进行研究的机会。技术摘要：巨大的囊泡是模仿生物细胞的最小结构的体外结构。对于从表面支撑的近晶磷脂薄膜形成巨大囊泡的囊泡形成过程，人们仍然缺乏普遍的了解。这一职业奖将支持一项综合研究、教育和推广计划，以获得关于巨大囊泡形成和囊泡中溶质包裹的基本过程的新知识和基本见解。这一建议的一个关键区别方法是PI使用连续统近似来分析小泡群体的演化，而不是专注于分析孤立小泡的生长。这一方法是由PI实验室的两项关键发现实现的：(1)发现了一种基于纤维素的形成巨大囊泡的方法，(2)用于大规模图像分析的停止生长方法，该方法可以表征样本中的整个囊泡群体。PI将通过实验、分析和数值模拟相结合的方式实现他的综合研究和教育目标。研究目标包括：(1)通过研究纤维素纸上产生的巨大囊泡的整个种群，了解囊泡形成的动力学。(2)通过双层静电力和膜波动力的受控扰动，破译控制泡囊形成的分子间和/或界面作用力。(3)通过将生长过程与装货过程在时间上解耦来理解囊化过程中离子溶质的包裹过程。教育和推广部分包括：(1)在生物工程课程中加入实验室部分和旨在促进探究性学习模式的新课程。(2)开发可定制的“Syncell工具包”，将在K-12教室实施，以鼓励K-12学生在STEM追求职业生涯。(3)为高中生、本科生和研究生提供研究经验的机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。