Tunable On-Demand Microfluidic Separations Using Traveling Wave Electrophoresis

1066730Carroll是一种新的微流控分离技术的进一步发展，称为行波电泳(TWE)。这项技术利用交叉指状电极阵列产生的电场波通过微通道传输带电物种。为了探索有效分离多肽和其他生物分子复杂混合物的方法，拟议的研究将集中在两个目标上：(A)建立条带分散与分子浓度、电泳迁移率和分子扩散的关系，以及(B)使用通过TWE实现的新的分离模式来展示多肽复杂混合物的TWE分离。这些实验目标将与TWE系统的理论建模协同作用，以了解该过程的基本能力和限制。拟议的目标将通过实验和建模来实现，这些初步模型和实验已经明确地证明了该技术的可行性。这项拟议的研究解决了对稳健、可控、按需分离技术的迫切需求，以实现复杂生物分子样品的高分辨率、高通量表征。通过使用电波来传输迁移率超过可调阈值的物种，两种分离技术与其他电泳型微流控分离技术不同。TWE有望以最小的分散实现分离，并通过在分离和非分离传输之间的实时切换实现无限长的分离，允许对紧密迁移的分析物进行极高分辨率的分离。这项工作的影响将在蛋白质组学、分子生物学、细胞生物学、遗传学、材料合成和纳米科学中感受到。该系统有可能对蛋白质组学和分子生物学做出特别强大的贡献，因为它能够分离存在巨大不同浓度的密切相关的分子物种。在不牺牲分离效率的情况下，基于单个通道中分离波段的局部位置独立控制分离波段的速度的能力将被证明是革命性的。这项工作的更广泛影响包括五个主要领域。在西弗吉尼亚州，特别重要的是纳入教师研究经验。我们将把中学教师纳入研究计划，提供专业发展学分的机会，并开发符合国家指导方针的课程元素，以便纳入他们的课堂。该计划将延伸到暑期以外，让PI与教师和他们的学生在课堂上互动，并为参与计划的教师提供机会，在当地和全国范围内展示他们的研究和课程成果。专业人员积极参与本科生和研究生课程的开发工作，强调纳米科学和纳米技术在科学和整个社会中的重要性。这些课程覆盖了物理科学、工程、生物医学和人文学科的不同学科的学生，并提供了一个共同的论坛，以促进大学内部思想的交叉授粉。该项目将为两名研究生提供资金，一名理论研究生和一名实验研究生。这个项目的工作将促进发展中的物理学家和化学家之间的跨学科互动，在这个多学科研究的时代，这是一个非常重要的好处。通过现有的SURE、REU和LSAMP项目，将在本科生的暑期研究体验中完成对代表性不足群体的推广。此外，与当地公司ProTea，Inc.的持续关系将使研究创新立即纳入用于蛋白质分析的商业产品的开发中。

1066730CarrollProposed is the additional development of a new technique for microfluidic separations called traveling-wave electrophoresis (TWE). This technique employs an electric field wave produced by interdigitated electrode arrays to transport charged species through a microchannel. To investigate approaches for efficient separations of complex mixtures of peptides and other biomolecular systems, the proposed research will focus on two aims: (a) establishing the dependence of band dispersion on molecular concentration, electrophoretic mobility, and molecular diffusion in TWE, and (b) demonstrating TWE separations of complex mixtures of peptides using novel separation modes accessible through TWE. These experimental aims will synergistically interact with theoretical modeling of the TWE system to understand the fundamental capabilities and limits of the process. The proposed goals will be accomplished through experiments and modeling stemming from preliminary models and experiments that have unequivocally demonstrated the feasibility of the technique. The proposed research addresses the critical need for robust, controllable, on-demand separation techniques for high-resolution, high-throughput characterization of complex biomolecular samples. TWE separations distinguish themselves from other electrophoretic microfluidic separation techniques by the use of an electric wave to transport species whose mobilities exceed a tunable threshold. TWE holds promise for separations with minimal dispersion and separations of infinite length achieved via real-time switching between separative and non-separative transport, allowing extremely high resolution separations of closely migrating analytes. The impact of this work will be felt in proteomics, molecular biology, cell biology, genetics, materials synthesis, and nanoscience. The system has the potential to make particularly strong contributions to proteomics and molecular biology based on its capability to separate closely related molecular species present in vastly different concentrations. The ability to independently control the velocities of separated bands in a single channel based on their local position without sacrificing separation efficiency will prove to be revolutionary if realized. The broader impacts of this work consist of five major areas. Of particular importance in the state of West Virginia is the incorporation of a Research Experience for Teachers. We will incorporate secondary school teachers into the research program, providing opportunities for professional development credits, and developing curricular elements meeting state guidelines for incorporation into their classrooms. The program will extend beyond the summer with the PIs interacting with the teachers and their students in the classroom, and providing opportunities for participating teachers to present their research and curricular efforts in both local and national settings. The PIs are actively involved in the development of undergraduate and graduate course work that emphasizes the importance of nanoscience and nanotechnology, both in science and in society at large. These courses reach students across different disciplines in the physical sciences, engineering, biomedicine, and the humanities and provide a common forum to facilitate cross-pollination of ideas within the university. The project will provide funding for two graduate students, one theoretical and one experimental. Work on this project will promote interdisciplinary interactions between developing physicists and chemists during their training, a very important benefit in this era of multi-disciplinary research. Outreach to underrepresented groups will be accomplished in summer research experiences for undergraduates through existing SURE, REU, and LSAMP programs. In addition, ongoing relationships with a local company, Protea, Inc. will allow immediate incorporation of research innovations in the development of commercial products for protein analysis.