RUI: Silica-Based Materials with Improved Biocompatibility

这项由圣何塞州立大学材料研究部生物材料项目颁发的RUI奖旨在开发具有高生物相容性的新型二氧化硅材料，其定义是低蛋白质吸附在表面上，并在玻璃基质中封装时增强蛋白质结构和稳定性。该项目背后的一个关键假设是，生物相容性材料必须具有亲水性和疏水性表面基团的适当平衡，并且这种平衡应该类似于折叠蛋白质的表面。亲水带电和不带电基团以及疏水官能团将被纳入二氧化硅基质中，以破坏界面水层，并研究表面化学与蛋白质结构之间的关系。在朝着特定目标努力的过程中，这个项目的结果可能会产生：(1)用于生物传感器行业的改进的硅基材料，(2)关于如何减少用于制造植入物和其他生物医学设备的材料的蛋白质吸附的见解，以及(3)更好地理解蛋白质在拥挤和受限环境中的行为，因为这与活细胞的生物化学有关。本科学生将被训练使用溶胶-凝胶技术制作有机改性二氧化硅玻璃，并通过圆二色光谱分析包裹或吸附的蛋白质的结构。蛋白质分子天生就能在高度拥挤的环境中发挥作用，但大多数表征蛋白质的实验都是在稀释溶液中进行的。该项目旨在研究由二氧化硅玻璃制成的拥挤和受限环境中的模型蛋白质。更具体地说，该项目将用各种化学物质修饰二氧化硅表面，使环境对蛋白质更友好（生物相容性），这是通过修饰后的玻璃被包裹或吸附时蛋白质结构的变化来衡量的。这项工作将由本科生完成，其中包括一些由其他研究项目支持的少数民族学生。此外，每年夏天还将招募一名当地高中教师，与学生一起培训和工作。这个暑期实习被设想为重新激发教师对科学的热情的一种手段，同时，作为向本科生介绍一个选择了重要的、可替代的职业道路的榜样的一种手段。该项目可能产生的科学影响包括改善生物传感器行业应用的硅基材料，了解如何减少用于制造生物医学设备的材料的蛋白质吸附，以及更好地了解蛋白质在自然拥挤环境中的行为。

This RUI award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to San Jose State University is to develop new silica materials of high biocompatibility, as defined by low protein adsorption onto the surface and by enhanced protein structure and stability when encapsulated in the glass matrix. A key hypothesis behind this project is that biocompatible materials must have a proper balance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface groups and that this balance should be similar to the surface of a folded protein. Hydrophilic charged and uncharged groups, and hydrophobic functional groups will be incorporated into the silica matrix to disrupt the interfacial water layer and to examine the relationship between surface chemistry and protein structure. In working toward the specific aims, the results of this project may yield: (1) improved silica-based materials for application in the biosensor industry, (2) insights on how to reduce protein adsorption for materials used in making implants and other biomedical devices, and (3) a better understanding of protein behavior in crowded and confined environments, as relevant to the biochemistry of living cells. Undergraduate students will be trained to make organically-modified silica glasses using the sol'gel technique and to analyze the structure of encapsulated or adsorbed proteins by circular dichroism spectroscopy.Protein molecules are designed by nature to function in a highly crowded environment, yet most experiments for characterizing proteins are performed in dilute solutions. This project aims to study model proteins in a crowded and confined environment made from silica glass. More specifically, this project will modify the silica surface with various chemicals to make the environment more protein-friendly (biocompatible), as measured by changes in the protein structure upon entrapment in, or adsorption to, the modified glasses. This work will be completed by undergraduate research students, including several minority students supported by other research programs. Also, a local high school teacher will be recruited during each summer to train and work side-by-side with the students. This summer internship is envisioned as a means of re-invigorating the teacher's passion for science and, at the same time, as a means of introducing undergraduate students to a role model who has chosen an important, alternative career path. Possible scientific impacts of this project include improved silica-based materials for application in the biosensor industry, insights on how to reduce protein adsorption for materials used in making biomedical devices, and a better understanding of protein behavior in its naturally-crowded environment.