This Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) award supports Randy Duran, Anne Donnelly, Timothy Morey, and a student from University of Florida in a collaboration with Wolfgang Knoll, Stefan Schiller, and Christiane Thielemann of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz, Germany. Together, the two groups will perform experiments in support of eventual drug detoxification applications. The experiments will involve the ability of engineered core/shell nanoparticles to detoxify ex vivo cardiac myocyte cells cultured on microelectrode array supports. The nanoparticles will be used to reduce drug concentrations in cardiac cells. The collaboration will also attempt to form model membranes containing the drug-active ion channels themselves as they perform electrochemical experiments with drug detoxification systems. The collaboration establishes a connection between the NSF-funded Engineering Research Center at the University of Florida and the Max Planck Insititute in Germany. The experiments have the potential to provide the first example of detoxification applications with cell-based biosensors and will facilitate a broad range of related studies involving core/shell nonoparticle research. As part of the collaboration, a University of Florida graduate student will spend six months doing research in the lab in Mainz.
