INSPIRE: Programming Materials via Biomolecular Engineering

这项授予康涅狄格大学的INSPIRE奖部分由数学和物理科学理事会材料研究部的生物材料项目资助。另外三个跨学科项目是化学、生物工程、环境和运输系统部门的生物传感器项目和生物技术、生化和生物质工程项目，以及土木、机械和制造创新部门的表面工程材料项目。这三个项目都在工程局。该项目的目标是将自然和生物学作为新一代活性材料创造的设计准则。多年来，材料科学领域已经从惰性材料的研究发展到活性材料的设计。然而，目前的活性材料通常需要光、温度、超声波、电和磁的物理刺激。这些物理刺激缺乏在分子水平上控制的高分辨率。它们对复杂仪器和操作的依赖也限制了活性材料的广泛应用。该奖项的主要目的是开发可编程表面，可以根据需要改变其特性，并生产具有多种预定功能的材料。作为概念的证明和验证假设，研究者将用两组或多组具有特定和预定结合特性的寡核苷酸修饰选定的表面。杂化寡核苷酸与纳米材料载货药物（或酶或其他功能材料）可以在表面存在一组“突变”寡核苷酸的情况下，对纳米材料载货物的吸收、解吸和释放内容物进行编程。突变的杂化寡核苷酸可以在纳米材料载货的基础上进行改变。拟议研究的成功具有巨大的潜力，可以改变当前和未来的材料开发方式，用于各种应用，如人类医疗保健和材料制造。该奖项对科学的广泛影响将是开发多功能和适应性材料，用于潜在的应用，如表面处理、药物输送、生物传感、催化等。该奖项支持的各种教育和外展活动将促进该项目的更广泛影响。作为该项目的一部分，将为不同层次的学生提供创新的、跨学科的、深入的课程，以学习前沿的生物分子工程技术。研究成果将通过高影响力期刊、知名会议和互联网广泛传播。材料几乎在我们生活的各个方面都很重要。然而，目前可用的材料不具备像小章鱼在防御捕食者时那样灵活改变特性的能力。因此，该项目的长期目标是探索一种革命性的概念，即开发能够以模仿生物体行为的方式改变其特性的材料。如果研究成功，将为人类学习自然，创造自然界不存在的智能材料开辟一条新的途径。该项目还涉及多种精心设计的教育和推广活动，将对研究生、本科生和K-12学生的教育产生广泛影响。例如，将为K-12学生建立跨学科的“学习和寻找”小组，以学习最先进的生物分子纳米技术并培养21世纪的技能。研究成果不仅将向学术界的研究人员展示，还将通过互联网和社交网络向公众展示。

This INSPIRE award to University of Connecticut is partially funded by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research in the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences. The other three interdisciplinary programs that are partially funding this award are the Biosensor program and the Biotechnology, Biochemical, and Biomass Engineering program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, & Transport Systems, and the Materials for Surface Engineering program in the Division of Civil, Mechanical and Manufacturing Innovation. All these three programs are in the Directorate for Engineering. The objective of this project is to apply nature and biology as design guidelines in the creation of new generation of active materials. Over the years, the field of materials science has evolved from the study of inert materials to the design of active materials. However, current active materials usually need physical stimulation from light, temperature, ultrasound, electricity, and magnetism. These physical stimuli lack a high resolution controlled at the molecular level. Their reliance on complicated instruments and operations also limit the wide applications of active materials. The main thrust of this award will be is in developing programmable surfaces that can be used to change their properties on demand, and to produce materials with diverse but predetermined functions. As proof of the concept and to validate the hypotheses, the investigator will modify selected surfaces with two or more sets of oligonucleotides with specific and predetermined binding properties. Hybrid oligonucleotides with nanomaterial cargo-carrying drug (or enzymes or other functional materials) could be used to program the absorption and desorption and release the contents of nanomaterial cargo in the presence of a set of 'mutated' oligonucleotides on the surface. The mutated hybrid oligonucleotides could be altered based on the hybrid nucleotides with the nanomaterials cargo. The success of the proposed research holds great potential of transforming the way current and future materials are developed for various applications such as human healthcare and materials manufacturing. The scientific broader impact of this award will be in developing multifunctional and adoptive materials for potential applications such as surface processing, drug delivery, biosensing, catalysis among others. The broader impacts of this project will be promoted by diverse educational and outreach activities supported by this award. As part of this project, innovative, interdisciplinary, and in-depth course work will be offered to students at different levels to learn cutting-edge biomolecular engineering technologies. Research findings will be broadly disseminated through high-impact journals, prestigious conferences, and the internet.Materials are important in virtually every aspect of our life. However, currently available materials do not have capabilities to flexibly change properties as a small octopus can do during its defense against predators. Therefore, the long-term goal of this project is to explore a revolutionary concept of developing materials that can change their properties in a way mimicking the behavior of living organisms. If successful, the proposed research will open a new avenue for the human being to learn from nature and to create smart materials not existing in nature. This project also involves diverse and well-designed education and outreach activities that will make broad impacts on the education of graduate, undergraduate, and K-12 students. For instance, interdisciplinary 'learn-and-seek' teams will be established for K-12 students to learn state-of-the-art biomolecular nanotechnology and to develop 21st century skills. Research findings will not only be presented to researchers in the academia, but also to the public through the internet and social networks.