MRI-R2: Acquisition of Instruments for Characterizing Soft Interfaces on the Nanoscale and Single-Molecule Levels

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案(Public Law 111-5)获得的。利用重大研究仪器(MRI)计划的这一奖项，惠顿学院的Daniel Burden教授及其同事Brian Hunt、Lisa Keranen-Burden、Peter Walhout和Roger Kennet将与美国国家标准与技术研究所的John Kasianowicz博士合作，获得一套仪器(原子力显微镜、倒置光学显微镜、朗缪尔槽、膜片钳和微流体剪切流动分析仪)，在纳米级和单分子水平上研究软界面。该仪器将用于支持下列研究活动和教育计划：(1)聚电解质多层(PEM)薄膜的形貌成像；(2)表征脂质双层膜在PEM膜上的扩散；(3)探测双层膜中的离子通道；(4)研究毒素在细胞膜中的分布、扩散和聚集；以及(5)成像细胞表面对剪切力的响应。软界面在自然界中普遍存在，特别是在生物系统中。惠顿学院将在该奖项的支持下获得显微镜和光谱分析工具，这将使这些年轻的科学家和他们的学生能够研究一些有趣的问题，处于物理、化学和生物的交界处。这项工作的结果可能会在几年内导致对细胞如何与环境相互作用的更好理解。与私人投资机构合作的年轻研究人员将接受使用最先进研究设备的出色培训。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).With this award from the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program Professor Daniel Burden and colleagues Brian Hunt, Lisa Keranen-Burden, Peter Walhout and Roger Kennet all from Wheaton College, in collaboration with Dr. John Kasianowicz of the National Institute of Standards and Technology will acquire a suite of instruments (an atomic force microscope, an inverted optical microscope, a Langmuir trough, a patch clamp, and a microfluidic shear flow analyzer) to study soft interfaces at the nanoscale and single-molecule level. The instrumentation will be used to support research activities and education programs in (1) topographical imaging of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) thin films; (2) characterizing diffusion of lipid bilayer membranes on PEM films; (3) probing of ion channels in bilayer membranes; (4) studying the distribution, diffusion and aggregation of toxins in cell membranes; and (5) imaging the response of cell surfaces to shear stress.Soft interfaces are ubiquitous in nature, especially in biological systems. The microscopy and spectroscopy tools that Wheaton College will acquire with support from this award will allow these young scientists and their students to investigate a number of interesting problems, lying at the interface of physics, chemistry and biology. Results from this work may lead in years to come to a better understanding of how cells interact with their environment. The young researchers working with the PIs will receive excellent training in the use of state-of-the-art research equipment.