This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). The Experimental Physical Chemistry Program supports Professor Alexander Scheeline of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to develop a levitated drop reactor to study the nonlinear reaction dynamics of myeloperoxidase, an enzyme found in neutrophils and macrophages (white blood cells). Such a reactor avoids surface reactions, adsorption, and contamination which may trouble other microfluidic systems. Gas/liquid mass transfer is facile because of the large surface area-to-volume ratio of the drop. Ultrasound is used to levitate the drop, ensuring that the drop is well-mixed. Diagnostics to be optimized for use with this microreactor include molecular fluorescence, absorption, and chronoamperometry.
This research gains broad impact by allowing clearer understanding of the chemical dynamics of an enzyme central to the innate immune system. Myeloperoxidase chemistry has much in common with that in chlorination of water supplies, yet that anti-bacterial, anti-viral chemistry, one of the two greatest contributors to increased longevity in human history (the other is sanitation and hand washing by health care professionals), is not well understood. Supported research will measure rates of reactions central to this aspect of immunochemistry. Professor Scheeline's group addresses the national infrastructure needs for a diverse scientifically-literate work force through outreach activities to high school teachers, high school students, and underrepresented groups, and via active research participation by undergraduate and graduate students, women, and underrepresented groups.
