Multi-purpose instrument for advanced Raman spectroscopy techniques

从整个细胞到其组成部分的生物系统的特征是很重要的，这样我们就可以了解细胞如何功能以及它如何响应与其他物质（无论是人工的还是天然的）的相互作用。驱动细胞的许多部分是酶，这种大分子加速了使生命成为可能的反应。一旦我们了解了酶的功能以及如何改善它们的功能（即它们如何将一种底物转化为特定的产品，以及它们的速度有多快），我们就可以将它们用于工业目的，从而实现更高效的“绿色”工艺。这可能就像生物洗衣粉一样，利用酶来分解脂肪、纤维素、蛋白质和淀粉；它们可能是用于生产高价值工业产品和药品的酶；它们可以用于生物传感器，比如糖尿病患者使用的血糖监测器。一些酶也被用来直接将酒精等物质中的化学能转化为电能，或者利用多余的电能将二氧化碳转化为化学原料。问题是，虽然存在一些方法来表征酶，但它们很费力，而且会破坏或损害样品。相比之下，我们一直在开发和利用一种基于光与物质相互作用的方法，这将使一种非常强大且非侵入性的分析成为可能。当光照射在物质上时，会发生散射，有时这种光会以不同的波长散射，这种效应被称为拉曼散射。这种产生的拉曼光给我们提供了关于被分析系统结构的非常具体的分子信息。这项资助的目的是获得一种新的拉曼仪器，可以用于：(i)用于蛋白质和酶的表征，其中一种称为共振拉曼的技术使我们能够实时跟踪非常快速的反应；（ii）在绘制细胞和细胞成分系统时，分离出彼此相距仅万分之一毫米的特征——大约是计算机内部开关或细胞外膜的大小。

The characterisation of biological systems from whole cells to their component parts is important so that we can learn how the cell functions and how it responds to interactions with other substances (be they artificial or natural). Many of the parts that drive the cell are enzymes, large molecules that speed up the reactions that make life possible. Once we understand how enzymes function and how we may improve their functionality (that is, how they turn one substrate into a specific product and how quickly they do it), we can exploit these for industrial purposes, leading to more efficient 'greener' processes. These could be just like the biological washing powders, that use enzymes to break down fats, cellulose, proteins and starch; they could be enzymes that are used to generate high-value industrial products and medicines; they may be used in biological sensors, like the blood sugar monitors used by diabetics. Some enzymes are also being used to directly convert the chemical energy in substances like alcohol into electricity, or to take surplus electricity to convert carbon dioxide into chemical starting materials.The problem is that whilst some methods do exist to characterise enzymes, they are laborious and destroy or compromise the sample. By contrast, we have been developing and exploiting a method based on the interaction of light with matter that will enable a very powerful and non-invasive analysis. One process that happens when light is shone at a substance is that it is scattered and sometimes this light is scatter at a different wavelength, an effect named Raman scattering. This generated Raman light gives us very specific molecular information about the structure of the system under analysis.The aim of this grant is to acquire a new Raman instrument that can be used both: (i) for protein and enzyme characterisations where a technique called resonance Raman allows us to follow very fast reactions in real time; and (ii) to separate features that are just a 10,000th of a millimeter apart from each other - about the size of switches inside computers or the membrane on the outside of cells - when mapping cells and cell-component system.