An award is made to Northwestern University and the City University of New York to develop an instrument capable of synthesizing arbitrary 3D nanopatterns of biologically active materials, coined “the Nanosizer.†The development of said instrument, the instrument itself, and the new photochemistry developed, will have wide reaching impacts on trainees, the nearby Chicago and New York City communities, and the broader scientific community. Both Mirkin and Braunschweig groups have previously and will continue to mentor trainees, including undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, on the design of experiments and communication skills. Importantly, the researchers will lead the experimentation effort and work closely with the PIs on the dissemination of results through high-impact publications, patents, grant reports, and conference presentations. Exposure to all aspects of the research process will provide trainees with the highest probability of success on their paths forward, as proven by the track record of academic and industrial job placement from the two groups. The neighboring Chicago and New York communities stand to benefit from the award, through participation in outreach endeavors. Braunschweig group will participate in the Research Internships in Materials Science and Mirkin members will volunteer with Science In your Community Center with the goal of engaging K-12 students, primarily those from traditionally underrepresented groups, in science and technology.
The Nanosizer will make arbitrary 3D nanopatterns of biologically active macromolecules with 100 nm resolution a reality through in situ surface patterning and fully orthogonal biomacromolecule construction. Through a combination of beam-pen lithography with 100 nm pixel resolution, precise multiwavelength irradiation control, and continuous flow of variable reagent streams, the Nanosizer will enable control over the reaction conditions at any 100 nm pixel over a >1 cm2 area. This, in conjunction with the development of orthogonal photochemistries for surface functionalization and synthesis of biomolecules, such as oligopeptides, oligonucleotides, and glycans, will enable the massively parallel generation of biomolecule arrays, with each pixel containing a chemically unique and well-defined molecule. Synthetic interfaces coated with biologically active materials have screening and functional applications in nearly every field of biology. The Nanosizer will provide monumental improvements in batch-to-batch reproducibility, resolution size, feature density, feature quantity, and overall cost in the preparation of such substrates. Results from these studies will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at scientific meetings, broadly distributed through commercialization, and incorporated into outreach presentations.
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.
