ACT/SGER: Liquid Crystal Materials for Biosensor Development

该项目结合了液晶（LC）物理学和高度选择性抗体-抗原结合的概念，作为开发能够快速（分钟）和准确识别、检测和定位微生物病原体来源的广泛传感器的基本原理。检测和放大介质是一类特殊的材料，称为溶致变色液晶（LCLCs）。小的和分离的细菌、病毒和它们的抗体不会引起均匀排列在扁平盒中的LCLC的宏观扭曲。然而，一旦通过特异性抗体-抗原结合形成的免疫复合物达到几微米量级的临界尺寸，液晶体取向就会立即发生扭曲。水基lclc对细菌的危害比常规的热致性lccs小。取向畸变很容易用光学方法检测到。该研究将通过引入液晶的新应用领域和通过添加新的传感介质来推进生物传感领域的发展。这项研究将在世界液晶科学和技术的领导者液晶研究所与生物科学系和化学物理系合作进行，并将支持两个不同学科的学生在对国家安全具有重要价值的前沿研究技术方面的培训。目前对炭疽等有害微生物的检测需要长达两天的漫长评估期。该项目旨在开发一种能够快速（分钟）和准确检测的新型微生物传感器。其新颖之处在于巧妙地融合了液晶的独特特性（类似于显示器和平板电视中使用的材料）和基于抗体-抗原结合的生物相互作用的高选择性。当抗体与目标微生物的抗原结合时，反应产生放大的“免疫复合物”。这种免疫复合物会扭曲周围的液晶。这种失真可以通过光学检测到，因为它的作用类似于液晶显示器和电视中的“像素”。不同之处在于，感应介质是由基于水溶液的液晶组成的，不会对被检测的细菌造成伤害。该研究将在液晶科学和技术领域处于世界领先地位的液晶研究所与生物科学系和化学物理系合作进行，并将支持两个不同学科的学生在对国家安全具有重要价值的前沿研究技术方面的培训。

This project combines liquid crystal (LC) physics and a concept of highly selective antibody-antigen binding as an underlying principle for development of a broad class of sensors capable of rapid (minutes) and accurate identification, detection and source location of microbial pathogens. The detecting and amplifying medium is a special class of materials referred to as lyotropic chromonic liquid crystals (LCLCs). Small and isolated bacteria, viruses and their antibodies cause no macroscopic distortions of the LCLC uniformly aligned in a flat cassette. However, distortions of the liquid crystal bulk orientation occur immediately once the immune complex formed via specific antibody-antigen binding reaches a critical size of the order of few microns. Water-based LCLCs are less harmful to bacteria then their regular thermotropic counterparts. The distortions of orientation are easily detectable by optical means. The research will advance the field of liquid crystals by introducing this new area of applications and the field of biosensing by adding a new sensing medium. The research will be conducted at the Liquid Crystal Institute, the world leader in liquid crystal science and technology, in collaboration with the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemical Physics and will support training of students from the two different disciplines in cutting-edge research techniques of great value to national security.%%%Currently available tests of the presence of harmful microbes such as anthrax require a lengthy evaluation period of up to two days. This project aims for the development of a new class of microbial sensors capable of fast (minutes) and accurate detection. The novelty is in an elegant fusion of the unique properties of liquid crystals (similar to the materials used in displays and flat-panel TVs) and high selectivity of biological interactions based on antibody-antigen binding. When an antibody binds to an antigen of the targeted microbe, the reaction produces an enlarged "immune complex." This immune complex distorts the surrounding liquid crystal. The distortion can be detected optically, as it acts similarly to the "pixels" in liquid crystal displays and TVs. The difference is that the sensing medium is composed of liquid crystals based on water solutions that do not harm the bacteria being examined. The research will be conducted at the Liquid Crystal Institute, which is a world leader in liquid crystal science and technology, in collaboration with the Departments of Biological Sciences and Chemical Physics, and will support training of students from the two different disciplines in cutting-edge research techniques of great value to national security.