NER: Functionalized Nanoscale Materials for Sensor Architectures

这项研究的目标是对纳米材料的基础探索，这些材料可以用来创建具有独特灵敏度和能力的光学生物传感设备的体系结构。这项研究将利用功能化的量子点开发和蛋白质共振能量转移，以制造下一代基于荧光的纳米生物传感探针，该探针测量抗原与抗体结合引起的内在构象变化。该方法涉及对量子点功能化方案的研究，并根据光学性质和生物功能对其进行表征。由此产生的纳米探针是基于针对功能化量子点的荧光标记的心肌肌钙蛋白-I抗体。传感器性能将被确定。心肌肌钙蛋白-I将被用作测试新开发的纳米探测器的能力的模型系统。智能优点：本研究探索开发独特的纳米探测器，将纳米材料的光学性质与荧光标记的抗体相结合，以开发能够检测生物分子相互作用的共振能量转移系统。在增强传感器性能方面，这项研究将是对现有知识的重大进步，并将为推出新的传感器技术提供基础。这些独特的纳米探测器将对涉及国家安全、医疗保健、环境、能源、食品安全和制造业的广泛应用产生巨大影响。更广泛的影响：这项研究还包括突出的教育内容，以及面向工程学和科学界代表性较低的群体的接触，包括从地区大学项目招募的本科生研究人员，以及向普通公众传播纳米科学。

The objective of this research is a fundamental exploration of nanomaterials that can be utilized to create an architecture of optical biosensing devices with unique sensitivities and capabilities. The research will leverage both functionalized quantum dot development and protein resonance energy transfer in order to fabricate the next-generation of nanosized fluorescence-based biosensing probes that measure intrinsic conformational changes induced by antigen binding to an antibody. The approach involves an investigation of quantum dot functionalization schemes and characterization in terms of optical properties and biofunctionalities. The resulting nanoprobes are based on fluorescently-labeled cardiac troponin-I antibodies to the functionalized quantum dots. Sensor performance will be determined. Cardiac troponin-I will be utilized as a model system to test the capability of the newly-developed nanoprobes.Intellectual Merit:This research explores the development of unique nanoprobes that integrate the optical properties of nanoscale materials with fluorescently-labeled antibodies to develop a resonance energy transfer system capable of detecting biomolecular interactions. The research will be a significant advancement over existing knowledge in terms of enhanced sensor performance, and would provide a foundation to launch new sensor technologies. These unique nanoprobes will have an enormous impact on a wide range of applications relating to national security, health care, the environment, energy, food safety, and manufacturing. Broader Impact:The research also includes a prominent educational component and outreach to groups underrepresented in engineering and the sciences, including undergraduate student researchers recruited from regional college programs and dissemination of nanoscience to the general public.