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The long-term objective of CBIN is to establish a nationally recognized center for research and training focused on the development of new materials, the design of which draws inspiration from the biological world. Specifically, the initial focus of CBIN has been to use protein architectures as novel templates for controlled nanomaterials synthesis. Protein cage architectures comprise three distinct interfaces, all of which are amenable to chemical and genetic modificaton to impart new function by design. The exterior interface, the interior interface, and the interface between protein subunits can all be manipulated in the pursuit of refined nanoparticle properties. The synthesis and characterization capabilites of CBIN have been developed as a foundation to provide nanomaterials with novel optical, electronic, magnetic, and acoustic properties. The properties of these materials are being investigated as the basis for their applications in magnetic sensing, catalysis, and medical diagnostics and therapeutics.
The directed program objectives of CBIN are
1. To create nanomaterials for biomedical applications.
2. To create nano-materials with applications in magnetic systems.
3. To create nano- catalysts with high specificity and efficiency.
The hypothesis that we are testing is that the inherent properties of protein cage architectures make them highly suitable as templates for creating nanomaterials with controlled properties. Furthermore, we hypothesize that we can subvert the normal function of these protein cages to accomplish this goal. We are taking a highly multidisciplinary research approach that combines expertise in virology, biomimetic materials chemistry, organic synthesis, physical and computational chemistry, and physics to carry out the basic research required to develop this new use of protein architectures for materials applications.
CBIN Research Links:
NIRT - Nanoscale Intredisciplinary Reserach Team
NCMS information
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