Understanding mechanisms of biological transport and signaling for nanotechnology applications.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Functioning of living cells depends on selective transport of molecules into and out of the cell, as well as between different cellular compartments. Nature has evolved nano-scale molecular “machines” for this controlled transport that combine exquisite selectivity, sensitivity and throughput with high resilience with respect to structural damage and environmental noise. These "nano-machines" are involved in numerous regulatory and disease processes in the cell, and are attractive targets for new drugs. Examples include the Nuclear Pore Complex, secretion systems in bacteria, mitochondrial channels and others. The exquisite selectivity and robustness of such biological transporters inspire design of technologically cutting edge artificial nano-molecular sorting devices. Transport mechanisms of many of such "nano-machines" are still subject to intense scientific debate but their dynamics are hard to directly access experimentally on the relevant time and length scales. Consequently, theoretical modeling has been increasingly playing a central role in addressing the fundamental questions as well as the development of nano-technological applications.