Probing molecular interactions on soft surfaces by scanning probe microscopy

检测细菌和传染病可以保证我们的饮用水安全，使我们的医院无菌。目前医院使用的检测方法是可靠和敏感的，但需要长达5天的时间才能得到结果，这使得细菌在诊断前可能繁殖到危险的水平。在这个拟议的NSERC发现计划的学生将开发材料和研究表面上的分子相互作用的方法。他们将使用一套称为扫描探针显微镜的特殊成像工具来揭示100 nm以下表面的化学和物理特性。我们的长期目标是利用显微镜的高分辨率能力，增加细胞表面结合位点的可见性。这就要求我们开发合适的标签材料并研究如何使用它们。纳米粒子将被制备和功能化的生物识别和二茂铁分子。这些纳米颗粒将被设计成结合到特定的抗原位点上，并发出增强的电化学信号。使用这些工具来创造创新材料将使研究人员能够研究细菌细胞的表面。对细胞表面特征的深入了解将有助于开发更好的策略，以制造可以检测和识别细菌的生物传感器设备，并可用于环境和卫生部门。这些设备能够以低成本快速返回测试结果，这将降低患者在医疗环境中接触有害细菌的风险，提高治疗效果，并缩短住院时间。在环境环境方面，它将允许市政当局更快地发布沸腾水和海滩关闭，人们使用威尔斯或游泳池更频繁地监测水质。参加该培训项目的学生将有机会从事与多个领域相关的研究，并与卫生和环境部门的专家进行互动。他们将有很强的技术和解决问题的能力。电化学，表面化学和生物分析技术的跨学科培训将使他们在仪器开发，药物筛选和生物技术领域的学术和工业职业生涯中处于有利地位。

Detecting bacteria and infectious diseases keeps our drinking water safe and our hospitals germ-free. Detection methods currently used in hospitals are reliable and sensitive but take up to 5 days to get results, which allows bacteria to multiply possibly to dangerous levels before diagnosis. Students in this proposed NSERC Discovery program will develop materials and methodology for investigating molecular interactions on surfaces. They will use a set of special imaging tools called scanning probe microscopes to reveal the chemistry and physics on surfaces at sub-100 nm scale. Our long-term goal is to take advantage of the high-resolution ability of the microscopes and increase the visibility of binding sites on cell surfaces. This requires us to develop suitable labeling materials and study how to use them. Nanoparticles will be prepared and functionalized with bio-recognition and ferrocene molecules. These nanoparticles will be designed to bind onto specific antigen sites and give out enhanced electrochemical signals. Using these tools to create innovative materials will enable researchers to study the surface of the bacteria cells. Gaining more insight into cell surface features will lead to developing better strategies to make biosensor devices that can detect and identify bacteria and that can be used in the environment and in the health sector. The ability of these devices to return tests results quickly and at low cost will lower patients' risk of exposure to harmful bacteria in medical settings, improve the effectiveness of treatment and reduce the length of their hospital stays. In an environmental setting, it will allow municipalities to issue boil advisories and beach closures sooner, and people using wells or swimming pools to monitor water quality more frequently. Students in this training program will have opportunities to work on research that connects with multiple fields and interact with experts from health and environmental sectors. They will have strong technical and problem-solving skills. The interdisciplinary training in electrochemistry, surface chemistry, and bio-analytical techniques, will position them for academic and industrial careers in instrumentation development, drug screening and biotechnology sectors.