Understanding the Interactions between Carbon Nanotubes and Cellular Membranes

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。[853759] striolo纳米技术现在被认为是技术创新和经济进步的最大领域之一。它在世界范围内的社会影响已经量化为200万工人，他们将在2015年之前每年生产价值1万亿美元的基于纳米技术的产品。其中一些产品已经进入我们的日常生活。然而，这种普遍的影响引起了一些关注，主要是因为纳米材料的健康和安全影响尚未得到令人满意的评估。众议院回应了这些担忧，并于6月通过了“2008年国家纳米技术倡议修正案”，意图将纳米技术研究的重点重新放在评估纳米材料的环境、健康和安全（EHS）方面。这个提议是对这个请求的回应。在俄克拉何马大学化学、生物和材料工程学院，一大批研究人员目前正在研究碳纳米管的可能应用，这种材料比其他任何材料都更能推动纳米技术革命。因此，本项目聚焦于碳纳米管，目的是评估碳纳米管与细胞膜之间可能的相互作用。研究人员建议通过协同理论（通过分子动力学模拟）和实验方法来研究原始和功能化碳纳米管对磷脂膜的渗透。他们将研究纳米管在膜表面的吸附等基本现象。他们将评估吸附在膜渗透机制中的作用，并研究如何防止它。同时，他们将研究利用纳米管吸附来给药的潜在形式。本项目的成功完成将使我们了解为什么碳纳米管在某些情况下可以非常有效地穿透细胞膜，从而了解如何将这种新材料应用于许多生物医学应用，包括基因治疗，同时防止副作用。此外，由于他们的实验需要在水介质中稳定的碳纳米管，他们将有助于更好地理解和量化官能团对碳纳米管聚集的影响。这仍然是阻碍碳纳米管在许多产品中广泛应用的主要障碍之一。俄克拉何马州通过俄克拉何马纳米技术倡议，通过支持当地公司和在广大公众中开展广泛的教育，大力投资纳米技术。利用这种广泛的意识，本项目将吸引当地高中生从事STEM职业。他们与诺曼高中建立了联系，他们将在那里发表演讲。他们还与当地大学（卡梅伦大学（Cameron University）和东北州立大学（Northeastern State University））建立了联系，这些大学为大量美国原住民学生提供服务，这些学生是STEM学科中代表性最不足的少数群体之一。他们将为来自这些大学的学生提供暑期实习项目。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).0853759Striolo Nanotechnology is now accepted as one of the greatest areas for technological innovation and economical advancement. Its worldwide societal impact has been quantified in 2 million workers who will produce nanotechnology-based products worth $1 trillion per year by 2015. Some of these products are already entering our everyday life. This pervasive influence is however raising some concerns, primarily because the health and safety effects of nanomaterials have not been satisfactorily assessed. The House of Representatives responded to these concerns, and in June passed the 'National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008', with the intent of refocusing nanotechnology research on assessing environmental, health, and safety (EHS) aspects of nanomaterials. This proposal stems as a response to this request. At the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering of the University of Oklahoma a large group of researchers is currently investigating possible applications of carbon nanotubes, the material that, more than any other, gave impulse to the nanotechnological revolution. Thus this project focuses on carbon nanotubes, with the goal of assessing possible interactions between carbon nanotubes and cellular membranes. The researchers propose to investigate through a synergistic theoretical (by molecular dynamics simulations) and experimental approach the permeation of phospholipid membranes by pristine and functionalized carbon nanotubes. They will investigate fundamental phenomena such as the adsorption of nanotubes on the membrane surface. They will estimate the role of adsorption in the membrane penetration mechanism and investigate how to prevent it. At the same time, they will study potential forms of utilizing the adsorption of nanotubes for drug delivery.The successful completion of the present project will allow an understanding of why carbon nanotubes can, in some cases, penetrate very effectively cellular membranes, and therefore learn how to employ this novel material in a number of biomedical applications including gene therapy, while preventing side effects. In addition, because their experiments require stable carbon nanotubes in aqueous media, they will contribute to better understand and quantify the effect of functional groups on carbon nanotubes aggregation. This remains one of the primary hurdles that prevent the wide applicability of carbon nanotubes in a number of products.The State of Oklahoma, through the Oklahoma Nanotechnology Initiative, is heavily investing in nanotechnology by supporting local companies and by conducting extensive education among the broad public. Taking advantage of this widespread awareness, the present project will attract local high school students to STEM careers. They have established connections with Norman High School where they will deliver presentations. They have also established connections with local colleges (Cameron University and Northeastern State University) that serve large Native American student populations, one of the most underrepresented minority groups in STEM disciplines. They will offer summer internship programs to students from those colleges.