מימוש שערים לוגיים ביולוגיים - השפעת חלקיקי זהב וחומציות על פלורוסנציה

Fluorescent Bio-Switch – the effect of gold nanoparticles and pH on fluorescence

This project will focus on creating biologically-relevant nano-switches using gold nanoparticles and fluorescent molecules. Fluorescence is a phenomenon where a molecule can absorb light of certain energy, and after a finite amount of time release part of the energy as light. Gold nanoparticles are agents able to significantly affect the electric field in their vicinity, and so can change fluorescent characteristics of nearby molecules. Using these aspects, we will design and test prototype fluorescent particles, where the fluorescent signature we would detect will change based on physiologically relevant pH values. The particles would provide one fluorescent signature in normal blood medium, and would revert to a different signal in cancerous tumor-like media through a polymer material that changes shape in different pH. Fluorescent measurements would be conducted using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), which is a very sensitive and capable imaging modality.

דרישות:

מבוא לביולוגיה למהנדסים
שדות אלקטרומגנטיים (עם ציון 80 לפחות)

מקורות:

1. Jans, H.; Jans, K.; Lagae, L.; Borghs, G.; Maes, G.; Huo, Q. Poly(acrylic Acid)-Stabilized Colloidal Gold Nanoparticles: Synthesis and Properties. Nanotechnology 2010, 21, 455702.  http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-4484/21/45/455702/pdf
2. Chen, X.; Soeriyadi, A. H.; Lu, X.; Sagnella, S. M.; Kavallaris, M.; Gooding, J. J. Dual Bioresponsive Mesoporous Silica Nanocarrier as an “AND” Logic Gate for Targeted Drug Delivery Cancer Cells. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2014, 24, 6999–7006.  http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201402339/epdf
3. Tang, F.; Wang, C.; Li, L. Controlled Fabrication of Fluorescent Au @ PAA Nanocomposites. Colloids Surfaces A Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 2016, 494, 95–100. http://ac.els-cdn.com/S0927775716300073/1-s2.0-S0927775716300073-main.p…
4. Barnoy, E. A.; Fixler, D.; Popovtzer, R.; Nayhoz, T.; Ray, K. An Ultra-Sensitive Dual-Mode Imaging System Using Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence in Solid Phantoms. Nano Res. 2015, 8 (12). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4745124/pdf/nihms755356.pdf