Unexpectedly Profound Role of Water in Biology and Medicine

描述（由申请人提供）：目标是探索水在生物功能中的作用。虽然水的作用被认为是次要的，但该实验室最近的证据表明，它的作用可能更重要。在亲水表面旁边，水获得了特殊的性质：它是带电的，更有序的，它排除了溶质。这个界面区域比以前认为的更广泛，并且在辐射能量的存在下，特别是在红外波长下，它会膨胀。由于细胞充满亲水性表面和水，并且还存在辐射能，因此上述特征可能与细胞功能高度相关。到目前为止，他们还没有被考虑过。假设它们出乎意料地重要，目标是在一些代表性的生物系统中测试是否确实如此。拟采用的机制包括：（1）扩散和渗透。上述特征是否发挥了核心作用？(2)表面张力和氧交换。由于这些特征存在于空气-水界面，它们是否控制着氧气交换？(3)自我组装。水的表面附近有大量的电荷，这就解释了为什么带相同电荷的分子会相互吸引。这可能是一种假定的自我组装机制吗？(4)光诱导效应。已知入射光具有治疗作用。上述水基特征是否提供了一种可能的解释？(5)血管异常上述特征导致了关于血流动力学和动脉粥样硬化的简单假设。这些假设能被证实吗？(6)全球健康。由于界面区排除了细菌，因此可以获得纯净水。这种方法能否用于全球卫生？如果新发现的特征被证明如假设的那样是中心相关的，那么它们的相关性可能会更普遍。如果是这样的话，那么这种基于水的方法可能会打开一扇通往生物学理解新领域的大门。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal is to explore the role of water in biological function. Although water's role is considered secondary, recent evidence from this laboratory implies that its role may be more primary. Next to hydrophilic surfaces, water acquires special properties: it is charged, more ordered, and it excludes solutes. This interfacial zone is more extensive than previously thought, and it expands in the presence of radiant energy, particularly at infrared wavelengths. Because cells are crowded with hydrophilic surfaces and water, and because radiant energy is present as well, the above-mentioned features may be highly relevant for cell function. Up to now they have not been considered. The hypothesis is that they are unexpectedly crucial, and the goal is to test in a number of representative biological systems whether that is indeed the case. The mechanisms to be pursued include the following: (1) Diffusion and osmosis. Do the above-mentioned features play a central role? (2) Surface tension and oxygen exchange. Since these features are present at the air-water interface, do they govern oxygen exchange? (3) Self-assembly. The presence of ample near-surface charge in water leads to an explanation of why like-charged molecules can attract. Could this be a putative mechanism for self-assembly? (4) Light-induced effects. Incident light is known to be therapeutic. Do the aforementioned water-based features offer a possible explanation? (5) Vascular anomalies. The above-mentioned features lead to simple hypotheses for flow dynamics and atherosclerosis. Can these hypotheses be validated? (6) Global health. Because the interfacial zone excludes bacteria, purified water can be obtained. Can this approach be developed for global health applications? If the newly discovered features prove to be centrally relevant as hypothesized, then their relevance might extend more generally. If so, then this water-based approach may crack open the door to a new realm of biological understanding.