RUI: DNA and nanoparticle assemblies as biomimetic templates for calcium phosphate mineralization

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NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACTThe purpose of this proposal is to support and mentor undergraduate students pursuing research in biomaterials, mineralization, and biomimetics with an emphasis on analysis at the interface between inorganic materials chemistry and biochemistry. All research proposed here will be completed by undergraduate science students at a liberal arts institution with a record of training women scientists. Primary focus will be on mentoring and training undergraduate students entering research in their first and second year and on ensuring that these students contribute to and integrate with the larger scientific community. Research students will be trained in numerous instrumental methods (QCM, optical and electron microscopy, AFM, FT-IR, and others), materials synthesis (nanoparticle synthesis, DNA origami design and synthesis), and general research methods. This will broaden their opportunities to enter the industry workforce or graduate studies. The proposal will have a positive impact on sustainable research and infrastructure of the science and education departments at Emmanuel College due to the cross-disciplinary nature of the project and by encouraging collaboration between faculty and research students on campus. Findings from this research will be made available on campus and off campus through local and national conference presentations and peer-reviewed publication. This work will impact high school STEM education by engaging and training a high school teacher in the research aims throughout the summer and by visiting the high school teacher's classroom during the school year. Work in the summer will carry forward to impact the college community as the PI works to remove barriers that exist between science and society. Members of the college community, including students, faculty, and staff will be invited to visit the lab and join undergraduate student researchers in a guided inquiry experiment at the most basic level. Collectively, this research and activities have transformative potential for undergraduate students and will develop our understanding and control of the mineralization process.TECHNICAL ABSTRACTThe purpose of this proposal is to support and mentor undergraduate students pursuing research in biomaterials, mineralization, and biomimetics with an emphasis on analysis at the interface between inorganic materials chemistry and biochemistry. An example of this interface is in the interaction between calcium phosphate ionic solids with collagenous and non-collagenous proteins in bone osteogenesis and in pathological mineralization. The need for continued study of this interface is apparent in the prevalence of bone and dental trauma and pathological mineralization and in the lack of effective restorative medical procedures. Improved analysis of the calcium phosphate mineralization pathways, in chemically- and biologically-relevant systems, and the introduction of new molecules and structures that can enhance or inhibit mineralization will help to ameliorate this need. Specifically, this research aims to 1) create and characterize biomimetic DNA and nanoparticle hierarchical assemblies, using previously selected DNA aptamers, gold nanoparticles, and DNA origami technology, to take advantage of multi-valency, programmability, and surface/solution versatility; and 2) analyze assembled structures in dynamic, real-time, biologically-relevant collagen mineralization systems that integrate microfluidic solution control and quantitative mass sensing. This project may yield the creation of new aptamer/nanoparticle assembled materials, new templates for calcium phosphate biomineralization, and new analysis tools for biochemistry and bioengineering. These results will be beneficial to the interdisciplinary field of mineralization in describing new analytical evaluation techniques and in connecting mineralization with the versatility and programmability of DNA nanotechnology.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.