Protein immobilization into hollow nanostructures : effects of concave surfaces on adsorbed protein structure and function
Loading...
Authors
Qian, Xi
Issue Date
2014-08
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
ENG
Keywords
Materials science and engineering
Alternative Title
Abstract
The novel physical/chemical properties of nanomaterials have already endowed them with unprecedented potentials in biomedical applications, yet a biological property known as the "morphology effect" enables them with further possible abilities to tailor attached proteins. Basically, nanomaterials interact with a biological system via its surface proteins, and since proteins are usually several nanometers in size, they are able to sense different nanoscale morphologies and adjust themselves in response, resulting in conformational perturbations and functional changes. Therefore, understanding the nanostructure-protein interactions is the corner stone in bridging nanotechnology and biology. During the last decade, in-depth studies have been performed on the effect of nanoscale surface topography on adsorbed protein structure and function by developing and characterizing a variety of nanoparticle-protein conjugates. However, a fundamental understanding of nano-bio interactions at concave surfaces is limited, despite the abundance and importance of such nanostructures. Unfortunately, this lack of understanding is not only epistemological, but also methodological. As a methodological perspective, the greatest challenges are to create a concave nanostructure that allows such interactions to occur, and to distinguishingly characterize the proteins at concave surfaces.
Description
August 2014
School of Engineering
School of Engineering
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY