This nanomanufacturing research program aims to engineer arrays of dissimilar biomolecules for the purpose of studying increasingly complex biomolecular interactions. Advanced lithographic patterning will be used to create molecular-scale binding posts on solid surfaces. Different biomolecules, such as proteins and peptides, will be chemically assembled on the posts. The biomolecules will be organized in a variety of geometric arrangements, and the position of each molecule will be precisely determined. The arrays will be characterized by different microscopy techniques in order to optimize the placement accuracy and chemical selectivity of the process. A range of molecular densities, nanometer-scale spacings and geometric arrangements will be explored, and their effects on binding interactions between different biomolecules will be measured and quantified. The arrays will then be applied to the study of cellular response to the geometric organization of different proteins that are part of a cell's environment.
The ability to control the placement and organization of individual molecules is a key challenge in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The types of nano-scale arrayed surfaces developed in this program represent an important step towards manufacturing with molecular precision. They can be applied to a broad assortment of cellular and biomolecular systems and can be used for assembly of heterogeneous molecular species over a wide range of length scales. Applications in medical diagnostics, tissue engineering and therapeutic treatment are possible. Notably, the research in this program is highly interdisciplinary. It integrates tools and techniques originally developed by the semiconductor industry for the manufacture of electronic devices with biosystems in order to create new functionality at the nanoscale. The students and post-docs who train in this program will represent a new class of scientists who are comfortable working across traditional scientific boundaries.
