A "Gold" Standard for Understanding Protein-Nanoparticle Interactions

化学系的大分子、超分子和纳米化学项目支持伊利诺伊大学厄巴纳-香槟分校的凯瑟琳·j·墨菲教授的一个研究纳米粒子-生物界面的项目。各种尺寸和形状的金纳米颗粒正在被开发，作为该领域的“金标准”。通过多种光谱和质谱方法揭示了蛋白质-纳米颗粒结合的热力学、动力学、几何和协同性。要验证的主要假设是，纳米颗粒的潜在表面化学性质决定了整个整体的最终生物学行为。在普通化学中熟悉的勒夏特列原理，正在纳米尺度的金纳米粒子-蛋白质相互作用的背景下进行测试，因为纳米粒子吸收光会导致加热，这反过来又会根据相互作用的焓值导致结合的强弱。这项纳米颗粒和生物分子界面的基础工作将使纳米生物技术领域的未来应用和最佳实践成为可能。应用包括光热破坏致病性或癌变细胞；改进的纳米颗粒给药载体；改进了用于分子诊断的传感器。在实验室接受训练的研究生和本科生在科学前沿获得了丰富的跨学科经验，包括向非科学家解释他们的科学的机会。PI正在开发关于纳米技术和界面化学的教育模块，用于大规模开放的在线课程，免费提供给全世界。

The Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program of the Division of Chemistry supports Professor Catherine J. Murphy of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on a project focusing on the nanoparticle-biology interface. Gold nanoparticles of various sizes and shapes are being developed as "gold standards" for the field. The thermodynamics, kinetics, geometry and cooperativity of protein-nanoparticle binding are revealed by numerous spectroscopic and mass spectrometric methods. The major hypothesis to be tested is that the underlying surface chemistry of the nanoparticles dictates the final biological behavior of the entire ensemble. LeChatelier's Principle, familiar from general chemistry, is being tested on the nanoscale in the context of gold nanoparticle-protein interactions, since light absorption by the nanoparticles leads to heating, which in turn can lead to either stronger or weaker binding depending on the enthalpies of the interactions.This fundamental work at the interface of nanoparticles and biological molecules is to enable future applications and best practices in the area of nanobiotechnology. The applications include photothermal destruction of pathogenic or cancerous cells; improved drug delivery vehicles based on nanoparticles; and improved sensors for molecular diagnostics. Graduate students and undergraduate students trained in the laboratory gain great transdisciplinary experience at the frontiers of science, including opportunities to explain their science to nonscientists. The PI is developing educational modules about nanotechnology and interfacial chemistry for massive open online courses, freely available to the world.