NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology FY 2013

具有双亲水嵌段共聚物的合成细胞和细胞器：模型系统的设计、合成和评估细胞是非常复杂的，这使得阐明生命系统的机制和基本特性变得非常困难。因此，拟议的研究将集中在合成细胞和细胞器模型的发展，可用作研究细胞过程的工具。 拟议的研究是一个跨学科的方法来设计，开发和评估模型系统，以模仿细胞和细胞器。具体而言，将合成基于新型双亲水共聚物的聚合物体系统，并评估其包封酶同时保留其活性和模拟细胞细胞骨架的能力。提出的新奇不仅是在制造新的材料和囊泡，但在显示，这些系统可以使更复杂的细胞模拟，可以结合联合收割机功能的细胞器和cytoskelets.The培训目标包括设计，合成和表征的新型亲水性嵌段共聚物使用现代自由基聚合方法和评估这些材料的能力，组装成细胞器和细胞大小的囊泡。将评价这些细胞模拟物有效包封酶的能力，以使其在细胞内独立地保留其活性和作为细胞器的功能，并生长和包含肌动蛋白细胞骨架并进行酶级联反应。这项工作的更广泛的影响包括：开发一系列模型和工具，这将有助于理解细胞过程，并可由聚合物化学家和细胞生物学家合作使用，在同行评议的期刊上发表，并指导研究生和本科生的研究能力。

Synthetic Cells and Organelles with Double Hydrophilic Block Co-polymers: Design, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Model SystemsCells are incredibly complex, making it inherently difficult to elucidate the mechanisms and fundamental properties of living systems. Consequently, the proposed research will be focused on the development of synthetic cell and organelle models that can be used as tools for the study of cellular processes. The proposed research is an interdisciplinary approach to design, develop, and evaluate model systems to mimic cells and organelles. Specifically, novel double hydrophilic co-polymer based polymersomal systems will be synthesized and evaluated for their abilities to encapsulate enzymes while retaining their activity and mimic cellular cytoskeletons. The proposed novelty is not only in making new materials and vesicles but in showing that these systems can make more complex cellular mimics that can combine functional organelles and cytoskeletons.The training objectives include design, synthesis, and characterization of novel hydrophilic block co-polymers using modern radical polymerization methods and evaluate these materials' ability to assemble into organelles and cell-sized vesicles. These cellular mimics will be evaluated on their ability to effectively encapsulate enzymes such that they retain their activity and function as organelles independently and within cells and to grow and contain and actin cytoskeleton and to conduct enzyme cascade reactions. The broader impacts of this work include: development of a series of models and tools that will facilitate the understanding of cell processes and can be used collaboratively by polymer chemists and cell biologists, publication in peer-reviewed journals, and mentorship of graduate and undergraduate students in a research capacity.