We will study nonlinear dynamics of bioparticles at nanoscale for the purpose of design of enhanced sensitivity biosensors. The physical processes that we can improve by pursuing such a study include 1) molecular focusing for purposes of detection and reaction and 2) separation methods for molecular sorting. The essential idea of the proposal is that a combination of hydrodynamic and electromagnetic forces, designed using dynamical systems theory, can enable trapping and separation methods for submicron scale bioparticles. We will focus our study on applications in dielectrophoretic biomolecule manipulation where forces on particles are generated by spatially nonhomogeneous alternating current electric fields and induced fluid flows. However, the dynamical systems aspects of the theory are projected to have broader impact to enabling technologies for manipulation of particles with electromagnetic fields and fluid flows.
In particular, major medical technology breakthroughs and advances in security against bioterror will be enabled by the use of electromagnetic fields and fluid flows for manipulation and detection of materials and processes at the nanometer scale. However, the accuracy, speed and sensitivity of the currently available devices is not at the level that allows for such breakthroughs. The lack of quality is in part due to the lack of understanding of nonlinear dynamics of processes and motions at micro- and nanoscale. In our work we will provide such an understanding that will ultimately enable development of fast, miniaturized devices for detection of biotoxins. Our results will also impact developments in the area of point-of-care diagnostics, where medical doctors will be able to perform a simple check based on the "cheek swab" that can tell them whether to administer an antibiotic (and which one, at that) or not in the matter of minutes. The broader impact of the proposed project includes interdisciplinary education of the members of the group. We are planning several educational activities where some of the biotechnology issues that we study will be popularized for K-8 and high-school level students in the region.
