Synthesis and Characterisation of Tracer-Functionalised Nanoparticles

该项目旨在通过利用以植物为基础的无毒蛋白质的金纳米化学和神经追踪能力来设计纳米材料。与目前正在开发的纳米材料截然不同的是，带有示踪剂的功能化纳米颗粒使它们能够经历特定路径的轴突逆行运输、跨神经元运输和解剖途径流动，以绕过血脑屏障。微流体学将用于表征不同大小和组成的合成纳米结合物的神经元活性，以了解它们与轴突、突触和神经肌肉连接的生物相互作用。这一结果将导致一类新的功能纳米材料以及基于细胞的功能分析。

This project aims to engineer nanomaterials by utilising gold nanochemistry and neural tracing capabilities of plant-based, nontoxic proteins. In a significant departure from current nanomaterials being developed, functionalising nanoparticles with the tracers enable them to undergo path-specific axonal retrograde transport, transneuronal transport, and anatomical tract flow to bypass the blood-brain barrier. Microfluidics will be used to characterise the neuronal activities of the synthesised nanoconjugates of different sizes and compositions to understand their bio-interactions with axons, synapses, and neuromuscular junctions. The results will lead to a new class of functional nanomaterials as well as cell-based functional assays.