NSC - Design and screening of DNA-functionalized hydrogels for contaminants in water

随着全球人口的快速增长和新的化学污染物不断释放到环境中，保持安全和充足的自然资源，特别是水，变得越来越具有挑战性。开发针对这些问题的新技术具有重要的战略意义。一个重要的目标是开发既能检测水中污染物又能以低成本去除污染物的材料。分子印迹聚合物（MIP）已经被开发来部分地实现这一目标，其中聚合物在目标分子存在下制备，使得聚合物可以“记住”这些分子的形状。然而，传统的MIP具有低结合亲和力、选择性，并且通常难以偶联到可检测信号。我们建议将短DNA片段和纳米材料纳入MIP制剂中，以提高选择性并为信号产生提供平台。我们将联合收割机结合合理的DNA序列设计和计算机辅助模拟来建立最佳的DNA序列，以制备高亲和力的MIPs。最先进的组合材料筛选技术将被用来测试这些材料提取目标污染物。这是加拿大和台湾之间的一个合作项目。加拿大团队将专注于通过详细的计算建模筛选最佳凝胶配方和基本物理过程的组合方法，而台湾团队将专注于合理设计，开发用于验证和凝胶设备整合的分析方法。这两种方法是互补的，每一方都将受益于整个合作的设施和专业知识。该项目吸引了一些行业合作伙伴，包括环境修复领域的领先公司Geosyntec。该项目福尔斯环境科学和技术的战略目标领域，特别是确保社区供水系统安全的研究课题。我们期望该项目通过创造新的知识产权和新的科学，产生新的环保材料，以及培养高素质的人才，使加拿大和台湾受益。

With the rapid increase in global population and continuous release of new chemical contaminants into the environment, maintaining safe and sufficient natural resources, especially water, has become increasingly challenging. It is strategically important to develop new technologies that target these problems. One important goal is to develop materials that both detect contaminants in water and remove them at a low cost. Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been developed to partially fulfill this goal, where polymers are made in the presence of target molecules such that the polymers can "remember" the shape of these molecules. However, traditional MIPs suffer from low binding affinity, selectivity, and often difficult to couple to detectable signals. We propose to incorporate short DNA fragments and nanomaterials into the MIP formulation to enhance selectivity and provide a platform for signal generation. We will combine both rational DNA sequence design and computer-aided simulation to establish optimal DNA sequences to prepare high affinity MIPs. The state-of-the-art combinatorial materials screening technology will be used to test these materials for extracting target contaminants. This is a joint project between Canada and Taiwan. The Canadian team will focus on combinatorial methods for screening optimal gel formulations and the fundamental physical processes through detailed computational modeling, while the Taiwanese team will concentrate on rational design, developing analytical methods for validation and device incorporation of gels. These two approaches are complementary and each side will benefit from the facilities and expertise of the whole collaboration. This project has attracted a few industry partners including Geosyntec, a leading company in the field of environmental remediation. This project falls within the strategic target area of Environmental Science and Technologies, specifically, the research topic of Ensuring Secure Community Water Systems. We expect the project to benefit both Canada and Taiwan through creation of new intellectual property and new science, generation of new materials for environmental protection, and training of highly qualified personnel.