CAREER: Inorganic Scaffolds as Activity Based Probes for 19F Magnetic Resonance Biosensing

在这个由化学系化学结构、动力学和机理B计划资助的职业项目中，德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校化学系的艾米丽·奎教授正在开发新的络合物，以期在未来的医学应用中发挥潜在作用，如磁共振成像(MRI)。生物体和细胞必须对其环境进行精确控制，以维持其自然平衡。Que教授和她的团队正在开发含氟的金属络合物，因为这些络合物对细胞环境的潜在变化很敏感。开发这种复合体的长期目标是使用氟磁共振成像(MRI)在体内对生物变化进行成像，这是一种新兴的“热点”(局部)成像技术，利用了人体细胞中通常不存在氟的事实。该项目位于合成无机化学和生物学的交界处，将为研究生和本科生提供培训。进一步的教育影响将通过针对社区大学学生的以研究为重点的培训计划来实现，包括暑期研究实习，目标是招募这批学生进入STEM的职业生涯。生物体和细胞必须对其氧化还原环境进行精确控制，以维持动态平衡。为了进一步了解氧化还原变化在生物学中的作用，Que教授和她的团队正在开发氟化金属络合物，这些络合物会随着氧化还原环境的变化而显示出氟核磁共振/核磁共振信号的变化。该项目的目标是了解配体结构如何影响第一排过渡金属络合物(铜、铁和钴)的反应性和氟磁共振性质，并通过社区大学的研究计划将这一研究整合到无机生物成像探针的开发中。该项目旨在开发使用铜和铁支架进行生物还原的不可逆和可逆氧化还原活性探针的设计原则。研究人员还将研究配体调制如何改善用于生物氧化的氟化钴探针的反应性和氟磁共振性能。他们寻求通过亲身实践的社区大学研究计划，促进招募和留住未被充分代表的群体进入STEM职业生涯。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。

In this CAREER project, funded by the Chemical Structure, Dynamics & Mechanisms-B Program of the Chemistry Division, Professor Emily Que of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Texas at Austin is developing new complexes for potential future use in medical applications such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Organisms and cells must exert precise control over their environments to maintain their natural balance. Professor Que and her group are developing metal complexes containing fluorine as these complexes are sensitive to potential changes in the cellular environment. The long-term goal of developing such complexes is for use in vivo imaging of biological changes using fluorine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), an emerging "hot-spot" (localized) imaging technique that takes advantage of the fact that fluorine is not normally present in the cells of the human body. This project lies at the interface of synthetic inorganic chemistry and biology and will provide training to graduate and undergraduate students. Further educational impacts will be achieved through a research-focused training program with community college students including summer research internships, with the goal of recruiting this cohort of students into careers in STEM. Organisms and cells must exert precise control over their redox environments to maintain homeostasis. In order to gain further insight into the roles of redox changes in biology, Professor Que and her group are developing fluorinated metal complexes that display changes in fluorine NMR/MRI signals in response to changes in redox environment. The goal of this project is to understand how ligand structure influences both the reactivity and fluorine magnetic resonance properties of first row transition metal complexes (copper, iron and cobalt), and to integrate this research in inorganic bioimaging probe development through a community college research program. This project seeks to develop design principles for irreversible and reversible redox-active probes for bioreduction using copper and iron scaffolds. The researchers will also investigate how ligand modulation can improve the reactivity and fluorine magnetic resonance properties of fluorinated cobalt probes for biooxidation. They seek to improve recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups into STEM careers through hands-on a community college research program.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.