Hierarchical Assembly of Peptide Materials

在化学系大分子、超分子和纳米化学计划的支持下，普渡大学的Jean Chmielewski教授将进行研究，使用球棒原子和分子构建块在纳米到微米尺度上构建独特的结构。Chmielewski教授将研究如何通过在分子水平上改变构建块来控制准备好的结构的大小和形状。这些纳米和微结构将被开发出来，最终将蛋白质药物包裹起来，输送到细胞，并制造自我修复材料。Chmielewski教授将继续勤奋地培训化学学生，并致力于改善普渡大学化学研究生群体的多样性。通过这种方式，新一代多样化的科学家将能够应对21世纪的技术挑战。对纳米材料和生物聚合物(如蛋白质和核酸)之间的相互作用有一个基本的了解，将对从组织工程到设备制造的许多应用产生广泛的影响。总体而言，将在该奖项下进行的实验寻求将超分子组装扩展到具有生物聚合物客体的多肽生物材料宿主的研究，并检查细胞和作为自我复制材料。拟议研究的学术价值集中在对多肽晶体、纳米管和纳米球内大分子超分子组装的参数和机制的确切理解上。在拟议的资助期结束时，Chmielewski团队的目标是根据需要优化条件，生成不同的多肽纳米和微结构，并对超分子组装过程的机理基础有基本的了解。主要研究领域包括多肽纳米和微结构与生物聚合物的相互作用，以及它们与细胞的相互作用，以及这些基于多肽的结构的自我复制。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。

With the support of the Macromolecular, Supramolecular and Nanochemistry Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professor Jean Chmielewski of Purdue University will conduct research building unique structures on a nano- to micro-scale using ball and stick atomic and molecular building blocks. Professor Chmielewski will study how the size and shape of the prepared structures can be controlled by changing the building blocks at a molecular level. These nano- and micro-structures will be developed to ultimately encapsulate protein drugs for delivery to cells, and to make self-healing materials. Professor Chmielewski will continue to diligently train chemistry students and work toward improving the diversity of the chemistry graduate student population at Purdue University. In this way a new generation of diverse scientists will be available to tackle the technological challenges of the 21st century.Gaining a fundamental understanding of the interactions between nanomaterials and biopolymers, such as proteins and nucleic acids, would have a broad impact on a number of applications, from tissue engineering to device fabrication. Overall, the experiments to be conducted under this award seek to expand supramolecular assembly to the study of peptide-based biomaterial hosts with biopolymer guests and examine cells and as self-replicating materials. The intellectual merit of the proposed studies is focused on gaining a firm understanding of the parameters and mechanisms of macromolecular supramolecular assembly within peptide crystals, nanotubes and nanospheres. At the end of the proposed funding period, the Chmielewski team aims to have optimized conditions for the generation of distinct peptide nano- and microstructures on demand and a basic understanding of the mechanistic underpinnings of the supramolecular assembly process. Key areas of study include the interaction of the peptide nano- and microstructures with biopolymers, and their interactions with cells, and self-replication of these peptide-based structures.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.