Investigation of Protein Transport in Functionalized Polymeric Nanopores

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With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Xiyun Guan and his research team at the Illinois Institute of Technology are investigating protein transport in functionalized polymeric nanopores. Facilitated translocation of molecules through channels and pores is of fundamental importance for transmembrane transport in biological systems. The Guan group will focus their research efforts on investigating the interactions between proteins and synthetic nanoscale-sized pores fabricated in poly-(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films, and developing new strategies to improve the resolution and sensitivity of PET nanopores and expand their utility. Results from this work have the potential to advance understanding of PET nanopore systems and provide insight into rigorous design of PET nanopore stochastic sensors. The proposed research has the potential to have a broad impact on a variety of areas, such as biomaterials, biosensing, nanotechnology, and electrochemistry. This project provides unique research opportunities for graduate, undergraduate and high-school students, including individuals actively recruited from underrepresented groups. In this research project, the Guan team at the Illinois Institute of Technology aims to address a bottleneck, i.e., poor resolution and sensitivity, which has limited the utility of PET nanopores as single-molecule stochastic sensing elements for various applications in the past decade. The intent of this project is to systematically examine the effects of various factors on the interaction between proteins and the PET nanopores, and establish the relationships between the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of proteins inside a PET nanopore and the pore diameters, pore inner surface functions and physical conditions. Specific objectives include (i) developing a simple, cost-effective, easy to create, stable, transportable and reusable functionalized single-track etched conical-shaped PET nanopore platform for protein characterization at the single molecule level; (ii) developing a new label-free strategy to investigate the dynamic structural information (e.g., conformational change) of biomolecules in real time; (iii) understanding the mechanisms regarding how various factors affect the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of protein interactions with the PET nanopores; and (iv) the using existing physico-chemical models or developing new models, as needed, for nanopore systems to predict the kinetic and thermodynamic properties of protein transport in nanopores.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.