CAREER: Controlling Biological Effectors with Light

有机和高分子化学计划支持佐治亚大学化学系的蒂莫西·多尔教授的一项研究计划，该计划旨在开发新的光化学技术来研究生物功能。光敏感的有机分子将被设计、合成并连接到生物效应器(如神经递质、激素、DNA、RNA或其他生物活性信使)上，以使效应器失活或将其“关在笼子里”，直到一道闪光释放或“笼子”它的生物活性形式。如果光源是脉冲红外激光，并且发生多光子激发(MPE，一种特殊的非线性光学过程)，则可以仔细控制效应器释放的时间和位置，从而能够研究具有生物重要性的事件的时间和空间要求。许多生理过程的结果往往取决于事件的时机和直接的局部环境。开发的技术将用于调节蛋白质合成、控制基因表达和设计细胞表面，以研究各种生物过程。该教育计划旨在弥合本科生和研究生理科课程之间的差距，揭开博士教育过程的神秘面纱，从而鼓励本科理科专业的学生攻读博士学位。面向本科生和应届研究生的一系列研讨会和多媒体项目将突出博士学位获得者令人兴奋的职业道路，并为他们提供导航过程的实用信息。在有机化学和高分子化学项目的支持下，多尔教授将展示这项工作的更广泛影响在于其多学科性质，并专注于开发科学中的人力资源。这项研究将使研究细胞功能的侵入性更小的方法成为可能，并影响细胞和发育生物学、遗传学、神经科学、显微镜、生物化学和生物技术等子领域的生物学学科。这项研究是培养学生成为对光化学和有机化学有深入理解并具有广泛科学知识的杰出学者的极好媒介。博士教育项目针对的是科学领域中代表性较低的群体，试图提高他们在研究生项目中的成功机会。它们还旨在增加在科学和与科学相关领域从事职业的学生数量，帮助满足国家对科学人力资源的需求。

The Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program support Professor Timothy Dore of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Georgia in a research program that seeks to develop new photochemical technology to study biological function. Light sensitive organic molecules will be designed, synthesized, and attached to biological effectors (such as a neurotransmitter, hormone, DNA, RNA, or other bioactive messenger) in order to inactivate or "cage" the effector until a flash of light releases or "uncages" it in its biologically active form. If the light source is a pulsed IR laser and multiphoton excitation (MPE, a special non-linear optical process) occurs, then the timing and location of the effector release can be carefully controlled, allowing the study of temporal and spatial requirements for biologically important events. The outcome of many physiological processes often depends on the timing of the event and the immediate local environment. The technology developed will be used to regulate protein synthesis, control gene expression, and engineer cell surfaces in order to study a variety of biological processes. The educational plan aims to bridge the gap between undergraduate and graduate science programs, demystifying the process of doctoral education, and thereby encourage undergraduate science majors to pursue a Ph.D. A series of seminars and multimedia programs for undergraduate and new graduate students will highlight the exciting career paths of doctorate recipients and provide them with practical information for navigating the process. With the support of the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program, Professor Dore will demonstrate that the broader impacts of this work lie in its multidisciplinary nature and focus on developing human resources in science. The research will enable less invasive methods of studying cellular function and impact biological disciplines in the sub-areas of cell and developmental biology, genetics, neuroscience, microscopy, biochemistry, and biotechnology. The research is an excellent medium to train students to become outstanding scholars with a depth of understanding of photo- and organic chemistry and a breadth of scientific knowledge. The programs on doctoral education are targeted at underrepresented groups in science, seeking to improve their chances of success in graduate programs. They also aim to increase the number of students who pursue careers in science and science-related areas, helping to fulfill a national need for human resources in the sciences.