Novel Liquid Crystal Droplets for Detecting Toxins.

抗微生物药物耐药性在医疗实践的所有领域都至关重要。目前使用的许多诊断方法不能提供所需的即时反馈，而且使用起来相对昂贵。我们的方法是制造磷脂（生物膜样）涂层的液晶液滴。液晶是有序流体，它们的取向取决于它们所接触的表面。液晶液滴将具有不同的光学性质，这取决于表面取向。因此，磷脂层的变化将影响液晶液滴。该项目将使用微流体来生产均匀尺寸的涂层液晶液滴，并控制液晶在磷脂界面上的排列。我们特别感兴趣的是了解液晶物理性质（弹性常数，极性等）与脂质层相互作用之间的关系。这将使我们能够充分了解液滴中出现的一些复杂几何形状，并优化可能用于设备的材料。我们令人兴奋的多学科方法以一种新的方式使用液晶，并增强了我们对液晶，生物膜和生物分子相互作用的基础科学理解。最终，我们有可能提供一种诊断重大医疗问题的新方法

Combating antimicrobial resistance is vital in all areas of medical practice. At present many of the diagnostic methods used do not give the desired instantaneous feedback and are relatively expensive to use. Our approach is to make phospholipid (biomembrane-like) coated liquid crystal droplets. Liquid crystals are ordered fluids and their orientation depends on the surface they are in contact with. The liquid crystal droplet will have distinctive optical properties that depend on the surface orientation. Hence, a change in the phospholipid layer will influence the liquid crystal droplet.This project will use microfluidics to produce coated liquid crystal droplets of a uniform size, with control over the alignment of the liquid crystal at the phopholipid interface. We are especially interested in understanding the relationship between the liquid crystal physical properties (elastic constants, polarity etc.) and the interaction with the lipid layer. This will allow us to fully understand some of the complex geometries that occur in the droplets as well as to optimize the materials that might be used in a device. Our exciting multidisciplinary approach uses liquid crystals in a new way and enhances our fundamental scientific understanding of liquid crystals, biomembranes and biomolecule interactions. Ultimately, we have the potential to provide a new way of diagnosing significant healthcare problems