Understanding nanoscale characteristics of protein self-assembly on polymeric surfaces with multiscale chemical heterogeneity

Jong-in Hahm教授和她在乔治敦大学化学系的学生进行研究，以促进对蛋白质吸附到聚合物表面这一常见但非常复杂的现象的理解。蛋白质吸附到固体表面上的过程影响食品加工/包装、健康设备、诊断工具和医疗产品中的基本日常应用。 具体而言，Hahm教授的研究团队专注于研究纳米级蛋白质表面相互作用的性质，其尺寸制度对于高度微型化的蛋白质检测和诊断设备的开发越来越重要。 该项目的多方面方法旨在为纳米级聚合物表面上的蛋白质结构域特异性吸附提供基本见解，这反过来将为创建下一代蛋白质阵列的指导原则奠定基础。 通过这项研究，研究生，本科生和当地高中学生学习光学成像和材料表征的最先进技术。 学生们还将获得使用新开发的基于聚合物的蛋白质纳米阵列进行定量固态蛋白质分析的经验。在这个由化学系大分子，超分子和纳米化学项目资助的项目中，Hahm教授的研究团队阐明了单个蛋白质和聚合物结构域之间在单分子和亚生物分子水平上的静态和动态相互作用偏好。 单个蛋白质的亚生物分子分辨率结构成像通过高分辨率原子力显微镜进行。 此外，动力学测量的蛋白质吸附到各种大小规模的聚合物表面进行表面等离子体共振光谱。 本研究旨在通过实验和理论相结合的方法，缩小纳米尺度与宏观尺度之间的差距，促进我们对纳米蛋白质吸附的理解。

Prof. Jong-in Hahm and her students in the Department of Chemistry at Georgetown University conducts research to advance understanding of the common but very complex phenomenon of protein adsorption onto polymer surfaces. The process of protein adsorption onto solid surfaces impacts essential everyday applications in food processing/packaging, health devices, diagnostic tools, and medical products. Specifically, Prof. Hahm's research team focuses on investigating the nature of protein-surface interactions at the nanoscale whose size regime is increasingly becoming crucial for the development of highly miniaturized protein detection and diagnostic devices. The multifaceted approach of this project aims to provide fundamental insights for protein-domain specific adsorption on nanoscale polymeric surfaces which, in turn, will be valuable in laying the foundation for guiding principles to create next generation protein arrays. Through this research, graduate, undergraduate, and local high school students learn the state-of-the-art techniques of optical imaging and materials characterization. Students also gain experience in conducting solid-state protein assays in a quantitative manner using newly developed polymer-based protein nanoarrays.In this project funded by the Macromolecular, Supramolecular, and Nanochemistry Program of the Chemistry Division, Prof. Hahm's research team elucidates both static and dynamic interaction preferences between individual proteins and polymeric domains at the single- and sub-biomolecule level. Sub-biomolecular resolution structural imaging of individual proteins is carried out by high-resolution atomic force microscopy. In addition, kinetic measurements of protein adsorption onto various size-scale polymeric surfaces are performed by surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy. This research aims to narrow the nanoscale-macroscale gap and promote our understanding of nanoscale protein adsorption through combined experimental and theoretical approaches.