CAREER: Experimental and Theoretical Studies to Develop Complex Biomaterials

Martin Conda-Sheridan博士和他的实验室的目标是将材料科学和药物化学结合起来，创造微小的材料(纳米结构)，以促进科学和改善人类健康。他们的目标是创造“按需”纳米技术，以满足工业或患者的需求。他们的第一个目标是创造两种类型的纳米结构：一种是对不同条件敏感的，另一种是对环境耐受的，以满足化工和制药行业的需要。他们的第二个目标是开发计算机软件，使科学家和临床医生能够预测纳米结构在不同环境中的形状和行为。他们的第三个目标是创造对自由基反应的纳米结构，自由基与衰老、疾病和氧化应激有关。这可以演变为治疗与炎症相关的健康状况的响应性疗法--包括癌症。总而言之，Conda-Sheridan博士和他的团队建议制备生物兼容的纳米结构，以开发响应的、按需治疗。如果成功，医生有一天可能会参考计算机程序来预测哪种纳米结构(S)对健康状况最好。此外，该小组将开展面向学生和普通公众的教育活动，寻求增加对纳米技术的基本了解。维基百科的页面和教学视频将被翻译成几种语言，希望能接触到更广泛的科学爱好者。其目标是教授这一项目的成果，并与更广泛的世界分享，激励从事纳米技术工作的新一代材料科学家和工程师。技术摘要设计智能、自组装、性能易于修改的纳米结构是一个蓬勃发展的新领域，它将给材料科学、工程和化学带来革命性的变化。该项目的长期目标是创造多功能纳米结构，该结构具有可调节的特性，并对外部刺激做出反应。为了实现这一最终目标，该项目分为三个目标。第一个目标将集中在调整分子内和分子间的作用力，以在超分子水平上改变性质。这将允许控制纳米材料的形态和物理化学性质。第二个目标将集中于开发理论工具(基于统计力学)，这些工具可以用来从自组装分子中预测超分子形状。这个新软件将被用来设计新的纳米结构。第三个目标是制备刺激响应型纳米材料。这将导致纳米结构，可以根据需要，通过活性氧物种的作用以不同的速度释放选定的分子。这项研究将产生新的生物材料，这些材料由不同的化学功能组成，具有不同的pKa、氢键潜力、尺寸、空间取向和立体化学。预计这些新的生物材料可以产生智能纳米结构，可以根据pH、盐浓度、温度等调整其行为。借助理论模型和简单的构建块交换来设计和调整材料特性和分子释放的能力可以导致材料科学、工程和医学的突破。此外，这项研究将支持面向不同科学学科的高中生、本科生和研究生以及普通公众的教育活动，以提高纳米技术素养。自组装和纳米技术的关键概念将通过两个主要教学活动传播：(1)编辑和扩展相关的维基百科条目，(2)创建教育视频。教育部分将被翻译成多种语言，并向公众免费提供，以便在全球范围内接触到更多的受众。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Dr. Martin Conda-Sheridan and his lab aim to merge material sciences and medicinal chemistry to create tiny materials (nanostructures) to advance science and improve human health. Their goal is to create “on-demand” nanotechnologies tailored to industrial or patient needs. Their first objective is to create two types of nanostructures: those sensitive to different conditions, and those resistant to the environment to meet the needs of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.Their second objective is to develop computer software that will allow scientists and clinicians to predict the shape and behavior of nanostructures when placed in different environments. Their third objective is to create nanostructures responsive to free radicals, which are linked to aging, illness, and oxidative stress. This can evolve into responsive therapies for health conditions associated with inflammation – including cancer. In summary, Dr. Conda-Sheridan and his team propose to prepare biocompatible nanostructures to develop responsive, on-demand treatments. If successful, a physician may someday consult a computer program to foresee which nanostructure(s) would best treat a health condition. In addition, the team will develop educational activities geared towards students and the general public, seeking to increase the basic understanding of nanotechnology. Wikipedia pages and instructional videos will be translated into several languages in hopes of reaching a wide audience of science enthusiasts. The goal is to teach and share the findings of this project with the wider world, inspiring a new generation of material scientists and engineers working in nanotechnology. Technical AbstractThe design of smart, self-assembling nanostructures with easy to modify properties is a thriving new field that can revolutionize material science, engineering, and chemistry. The long-term goal of this project is to create multifunctional nanostructures that possess tunable properties and are responsive to external stimuli. To achieve this final goal, this project is divided into three objectives. The First Objective will focus on tuning intra- and inter-molecular forces to modify properties at the supramolecular level. This will permit the control of the morphology and physicochemical properties of the nanomaterials. The Second Objective will focus on developing theoretical tools (based in statistical mechanics) that can be used to predict supramolecular shape from the self-assembling molecules. This new software will be used to design novel nanostructures. The Third Objective seeks to prepare stimuli responsive nanomaterials. This will lead to nanostructures that can release selected molecules on demand and at various rates by the action of reactive oxygen species. This research will generate new biomaterials that are composed of diverse chemical functionalities with distinct pKas, hydrogen bonding potential, size, spatial orientation, and stereochemistry. It is expected these new biomaterials can lead to smart nanostructures that can adjust their behavior based on pH, salt concentration, temperature etc. The ability to design and tune material properties and molecular release with the aid of theoretical models and by the simple exchange of building blocks can lead to breakthroughs in material science, engineering, and medicine. In addition, this research will support educational activities geared towards high school, undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of science disciplines as well as the general public to increase nanotechnology literacy. Key concepts in self-assembly and nanotechnology will be disseminated by two primary teaching activities: (1) editing and expanding relevant Wikipedia entries, and (2) the creation of educational videos. The educational component will be translated to multiple languages and made available free to the public in order to reach larger audiences across the globe.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.