CAREER: Understanding the fundamental mechanisms of vesiculation and solute encapsulation of smectic phospholipid films on cellulose

非技术性摘要这个职业奖将支持一个综合的研究和教育计划，以了解从纤维素纸上的磷脂层组装细胞样囊泡。大自然使用膜来封装生物细胞。了解自然界中的过程，然后构建模拟细胞膜的囊泡是有用的。囊泡可以例如用作微尺度化学反应器或用作用于包封和可控地释放治疗药物的媒介物。主要研究者（PI）和他的学生将研究物理参数的影响，如温度，溶液的离子强度和磷脂的电荷密度对囊泡形成的影响。研究小组将研究在不同物理条件下将离子货物封装到囊泡中。收集的实验数据将用于建立和测试分析和数值模型，以更好地了解囊泡形成过程和包裹货物的过程。 该奖项还将支持PI通过设计新的动手实验室课程来加强本科生和研究生生物工程课程的努力。PI将创建一个可定制的实验工具包，“SynCell工具包”，将在K-12教室中实施，以提高对生物材料研究的兴趣。该奖项将为高中，本科和研究生在一个不同的多学科环境中的相对欠发达地区的中央加州.技术摘要：巨囊泡是在体外构建，模仿生物细胞的最小配置的研究经验提供机会。仍然缺乏对囊泡形成过程的一般理解，导致从表面支持的近晶磷脂膜形成巨大的囊泡。 这个职业奖将支持一个综合的研究，教育和推广计划，以获得新的知识和基本的见解，巨囊泡形成的基本过程和囊泡中的溶质封装。该建议的一个关键区别方法是PI使用连续近似来分析囊泡群体的进化，而不是专注于分析孤立囊泡的生长。这种方法是由PI实验室的两个关键发现实现的：（1）发现了一种基于纤维素的形成巨大囊泡的方法，（2）一种用于大规模图像分析的停止生长方法，可以表征来自样品的整个囊泡群体。 PI将通过结合实验，分析和数值建模来实现他的综合研究和教育目标。研究目标包括：（1）通过研究纤维素纸上产生的巨泡的整个群体来了解泡形成的动力学。(2)通过对双层静电力和膜波动力的控制扰动，破译支配囊泡形成的分子间和/或表面间力。(3)了解囊泡形成过程中离子溶质的包裹过程，通过将生长过程与装载货物的过程暂时分离。教育和外展部分包括：（1）在生物工程课程中加入实验室部分和新课程，以促进以探究为本的学习模式。(2)开发一个可定制的“SynCell工具包”，将在K-12教室中实施，以鼓励K-12学生追求STEM职业。(3)为高中生、本科生和研究生提供研究经验的机会。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Non-technical SummaryThis CAREER award will support an integrated research and education plan to understand the assembly of cell-like vesicles from phospholipid layers on cellulose paper. Nature uses membranes to encapsulate biological cells. Understanding the process in nature and then building vesicles that mimic cell membranes is useful. The vesicles can, for example, be used as microscale chemical reactors or as vehicles for encapsulating and controllably releasing therapeutic drugs. The principal investigator (PI) and his students will investigate the effects of physical parameters such as the temperature, the ionic strength of the solution, and the charge density of the phospholipids on vesicle formation. The research team will study the encapsulation of ionic cargo into the vesicles under differing physical conditions. Experimental data that is gathered will be used to build and test analytical and numerical models to better understand the process of formation of vesicles and the process of encapsulating cargo. The award will also support the PI's efforts to enhance the undergraduate and graduate Bioengineering curricula by designing new hands-on laboratory courses. The PI will create a customizable experimental toolkit, the "SynCell Toolkit", that will be implemented in K-12 classrooms to increase interest in biomaterials research. The award will provide opportunities for research experiences for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students in a diverse multidisciplinary environment in the relatively under-served region of Central California.Technical Abstract: Giant vesicles are in vitro constructs that mimic the minimal configuration of biological cells. There is still a lack of a general understanding of the process of vesiculation that leads to giant vesicle formation from surface-supported smectic phospholipid films. This CAREER award will support an integrated research, education, and outreach plan to obtain new knowledge and fundamental insights into the basic process of giant vesicle formation and the encapsulation of solutes in vesicles. A key distinguishing approach of this proposal is the PI's use of a continuum approximation to analyze the evolution of a population of vesicles rather than focusing on analyzing the growth of isolated vesicles. This approach is enabled by two key discoveries in the PI's lab: (1) The discovery of a cellulose-based method for forming giant vesicles, (2) A stopped-growth method for large-scale analysis of images that can characterize the entire population of vesicles from a sample. The PI will achieve his integrated research and educational goals by using a combination of experiments, and analytical and numerical modeling. Research aims include: (1) Understanding the dynamics of vesiculation by studying whole populations of giant vesicles produced on cellulose paper. (2) Deciphering the intermolecular and/or intersurface forces that govern vesiculation by controlled perturbation of double-layer electrostatic forces and membrane undulation forces. (3) Understanding the process of encapsulation of ionic solutes during vesiculation by temporally decoupling the process of growth from the process of loading cargo. The educational and outreach components include: (1) Incorporating laboratory components and new courses designed to foster a mode of inquiry-based learning to the Bioengineering curricula. (2) Developing a customizable "SynCell Toolkit", that will be implemented in K-12 classrooms to encourage K-12 students to pursue careers in STEM. (3) Provide opportunities for research experiences for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.