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Biomimetic quantum-dot nanodonuts for membrane voltage imaging

用于膜电压成像的仿生量子点纳米甜甜圈

基本信息

批准号：
BB/X004716/1
负责人：
Benjamin Almquist
金额：
$ 23.12万
依托单位：
Imperial College London
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2022
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2022 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FX004716%2F1
关键词：
Biomimetic quantum dot nanodonuts membrane

项目摘要

Our brains are incredible organs. There are around 80 billion neurons that make up our brain, and they need to talk with each other to make our brains work. Interestingly, they do this by using electricity - incredibly, the membrane that gives a neuron its shape can create an electric field that has the same magnitude as a lightning bolt! However, despite the incredibly large signal, it can be extremely difficult to visualise how signals are generated within a single neuron, how these signals propagate to other neurons and spread around large networks. This is because this big lightning bolt-sized signal is confined to the thickness of just a handful of atoms, and positioning a sensor just in the right space is incredibly tricky. In this project, we will take inspiration from natural proteins that sit in the membranes of neurons to develop a method to seamlessly integrate a sensor right where it needs to go to 'see' the electrical signals, and send out a message about it that we can see visually. By harnessing techniques from the computer industry, we will adapt methods that are used to make computer chips, TVs, and other advanced electrical devices to create our bioinspired voltage sensors.These sensors will unlock the ability to visualise how neurons communicate with each other in diverse organisms, complex networks and more. For instance, other cells, such as sperm, are electrically active, and these bioinspired sensors will enable us to see why, and how, these electrical signals impact areas such as fertility. In the end, by taking inspiration from nature and combining it with the power of nanofabrication, this project will unlock a revolutionary new strategy for seeing how our cells use electricity to communicate, and how these communications may get scrambled in the case of injury, disease, or simply old age.

我们的大脑是不可思议的器官。大约有800亿个神经元组成了我们的大脑，它们需要相互交流才能使我们的大脑工作。有趣的是，它们是通过用电来实现这一点的--令人难以置信的是，赋予神经元形状的膜可以产生与闪电大小相同的电场！然而，尽管信号非常大，但很难想象信号是如何在单个神经元内产生的，这些信号如何传播到其他神经元并在大型网络中传播。这是因为这个巨大的闪电大小的信号仅限于少数原子的厚度，并且将传感器定位在正确的空间是非常棘手的。在这个项目中，我们将从位于神经元膜中的天然蛋白质中获得灵感，开发一种方法，将传感器无缝集成到需要“看到”电信号的地方，并发出我们可以看到的信息。通过利用计算机行业的技术，我们将采用用于制造计算机芯片，电视和其他先进电气设备的方法来创建我们的生物启发电压传感器。这些传感器将解锁可视化神经元如何在不同生物体，复杂网络等中相互通信的能力。例如，其他细胞，如精子，是电活性的，这些生物启发传感器将使我们能够看到为什么，以及如何，这些电信号影响生育等领域。最后，通过从大自然中汲取灵感，并将其与纳米纤维的力量相结合，该项目将开启一种革命性的新策略，以了解我们的细胞如何使用电力进行通信，以及这些通信如何在受伤，疾病或只是年老的情况下被打乱。