COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: SHARING THE STRAIN - SYNTHETIC LIQUID CRYSTALS AS SOFT BIOMATERIALS

合作研究：共享应变——合成液晶作为软生物材料

基本信息

批准号：
2003807
负责人：
Nicholas Abbott
金额：
$ 20万
依托单位：
Cornell University
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2020
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2020-07-15 至 2023-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2003807&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH SHARING STRAIN SYNTHETIC

项目摘要

PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis research project advances fundamental materials research that is bioinspired, involves biological materials, and addresses synthetic materials intended for application in contact with biological systems. The work is motivated by the observation that living materials (cells and tissues) are soft and dynamic, and provide a range of useful functions by coupling shape, internal organization and mechanical strain. Specifically, the project seeks to advance the design of new synthetic materials that dynamically regulate their mechanical interactions with living cells (as a type of synthetic exoskeleton), thus providing new ways to instruct the behaviors of living cells or, alternatively, report on changes in the mechanical properties of cells. The initial effort is directed at the creation of reconfigurable, soft material interfaces with red blood cells, with a focus on elucidation of the complex and non-linear mechanical interactions of soft synthetic and biological materials. The approach involves a convergence of perspectives from biology, physics, chemistry and mathematics. In the long term, the work has the potential to lead to the creation of new classes of materials that can be used to rapidly screen for those diseased states of cells which are associated with increased cell stiffness. The project will also provide outstanding opportunities to educate the next generation of STEM students and researchers, including Native American youth in the Ho-Chunk Nation and other children and parents in underserved communities.PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYThis project explores the interactions of anisotropic and reconfigurable biomaterials based on chromonic liquid crystals with mammalian cells. The research will investigate the use of chromonic liquid crystals as primitive, synthetic exoskeletal materials, with a focus on understanding the interplay of hydration, osmotic pressure and mechanical interactions with red blood cells. These fundamental insights will inform the interpretation of measurements of the shape-response of single red blood cells dispersed in chromonic liquid crystals, providing new insights into how these novel biomaterials share strain with red blood cells. We will test the hypothesis that individual red blood cells differ in mechanical properties and exhibit distinct shape-responses in the liquid crystals. The overall approach to these challenging questions relies on close integration of experiment and modeling. The use of liquid crystals as biomaterials to strain living cells such as red blood cells has the potential to provide new ways to rapidly identify cell-to-cell variation in the mechanical properties of single cells in a population. The numerical methods developed in this project will be broadly useful for studying complex fluid-body interactions encountered in a variety of materials-related disciplines.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.

第1部分：非技术摘要研究项目推进了生物启发，涉及生物材料的基本材料研究，并解决了旨在与生物系统接触的旨在应用的合成材料。这项工作是由生命物质（细胞和组织）柔软而动态的观察到的，并通过耦合形状，内部组织和机械应变提供了一系列有用的功能。具体而言，该项目旨在推进新的合成材料的设计，这些新合成材料动态调节其机械相互作用与活细胞（作为一种合成外骨骼），从而提供了指导活细胞行为的新方法，或者，或者，请报告细胞机械性能的变化。最初的努力是针对与红细胞建立可重构的软材料界面，重点是阐明软合成和生物材料的复合物和非线性机械相互作用。该方法涉及生物学，物理，化学和数学的观点的融合。从长远来看，这项工作有可能导致创建新的材料，这些材料可用于快速筛选与细胞刚度增加有关的细胞状态。该项目还将为教育下一代的STEM学生和研究人员提供出色的机会，包括Ho-Chunk Nation中的美国原住民青年以及服务不足的社区中的其他孩子和父母。第2部分：技术摘要此项目，探讨了基于铬晶体与哺乳动物细胞的基于铬晶液晶的各向异性和可重构生物材料的相互作用。该研究将研究染色性液体晶体作为原始的合成外骨骼材料，重点是了解水合，渗透压和与红细胞的机械相互作用的相互作用。这些基本的见解将为分散在染色性液体晶体中的单个红细胞的形状反应的测量提供解释，从而为这些新型生物材料如何与红细胞共享菌株提供了新的见解。我们将检验以下假设：单个红细胞在机械性能上有所不同，并在液晶中表现出不同的形状反应。这些挑战性问题的总体方法依赖于实验和建模的密切整合。将液晶用作生物材料来应对活细胞（例如红细胞）的潜力，可以提供新的方法来快速识别人群中单细胞的机械性能中细胞对细胞的变化。该项目中开发的数值方法对于研究在各种材料相关学科中遇到的复杂流体体型相互作用将非常有用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并认为值得通过基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响审查标准通过评估来进行评估。

项目成果

期刊论文数量（5）

专著数量（0）

科研奖励数量（0）

会议论文数量（0）

专利数量（0）

Energy landscapes on polymerized liquid crystal interfaces

DOI：
10.1039/d3sm00356f
发表时间：
2023-05-22
期刊：
SOFT MATTER
影响因子：
3.4
作者：
Hendley，Rachel S.;Jumai'an，Eugenie;Bevan，Michael A.
通讯作者：
Bevan，Michael A.

Areas of opportunity related to design of chemical and biological sensors based on liquid crystals

DOI：
10.1080/1358314x.2020.1819624
发表时间：
2020-01-01
期刊：
LIQUID CRYSTALS TODAY
影响因子：
3.1
作者：
Nayani, Karthik;Yang, Yu;Abbott, Nicholas
通讯作者：
Abbott, Nicholas

Sculpting the shapes of giant unilamellar vesicles using isotropic–nematic–isotropic phase cycles

使用各向同性-向列-各向同性相循环塑造巨型单层囊泡的形状

DOI：
10.1039/d1sm00910a
发表时间：
2021
期刊：
Soft Matter
影响因子：
3.4
作者：
Jani, Purvil;Nayani, Karthik;Abbott, Nicholas L.
通讯作者：
Abbott, Nicholas L.

Dynamic and reversible shape response of red blood cells in synthetic liquid crystals

DOI：
10.1073/pnas.2007753117
发表时间：
2020-10-20
期刊：
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
影响因子：
11.1
作者：
Nayani, Karthik;Evans, Arthur A.;Abbott, Nicholas L.
通讯作者：
Abbott, Nicholas L.

Formation of versus Recruitment to RNA-Rich Condensates: Controlling Effects Exerted by Peptide Side Chain Identity.