Vanderbilt Nanoscience


VICB RESEARCH NANOSCIENCE
Nanotechnology is an exciting new field that interfaces chemistry, biology, and engineering to develop novel particulate materials of less than 100 nm diameter. The huge diversity of substances that can be produced through this new technology holds promise for revolutionizing multiple aspects of biology and medicine including in vivo and ex vivo imaging, drug delivery, protein and peptide delivery, and cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. VICB investigator Eva Harth is capitalizing on this new technology to synthesize dendritic molecular transporters, which are particulate polymeric structures that can be used to carry bioactive small molecules across cell membranes and deliver them selectively to desired subcellular compartments. Sandra Rosenthal focuses her work on the synthesis of fluorescent nanocrystals, which can be specifically targeted to membrane receptor proteins. In collaboration with Randy Blakely, she uses these to monitor the activities of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters in functioning neurons. In addition to his interest in electrochemistry on the nanoscale, Dave Cliffel studies the lock and key interactions of proteins through the design of targeted linear and loop peptide structures deposited on the surface of gold nanoparticles. He has found that these particles are particularly useful for calibrating immunoassays. Darryl Bornhop is interested in analytical methods on the nanoscale. His back scattering interferometer allows detection of picomolar concentrations of an analyte in nanoliter quantities of sample. This novel technology also provides a means to monitor conformational changes that occur in biological macromolecules upon binding of ligand or a second macromolecule. Image Source: Brandt Eichman Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, "Electron Density Map of the DNA Glycosylase (AIkD)."
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Nanotechnology is an exciting new field that interfaces chemistry, biology, and engineering to develop novel particulate materials of less than 100 nm diameter. The huge diversity of substances that can be produced through this new technology holds promise for revolutionizing multiple aspects of biology and medicine including in vivo and ex vivo imaging, drug delivery, protein and peptide delivery, and cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

VICB investigator Eva Harth is capitalizing on this new technology to synthesize dendritic molecular transporters, which are particulate polymeric structures that can be used to carry bioactive small molecules across cell membranes and deliver them selectively to desired subcellular compartments.

Sandra Rosenthal focuses her work on the synthesis of fluorescent nanocrystals, which can be specifically targeted to membrane receptor proteins. In collaboration with Randy Blakely, she uses these to monitor the activities of neurotransmitter receptors and transporters in functioning neurons.

In addition to his interest in electrochemistry on the nanoscale, Dave Cliffel studies the lock and key interactions of proteins through the design of targeted linear and loop peptide structures deposited on the surface of gold nanoparticles. He has found that these particles are particularly useful for calibrating immunoassays.

Darryl Bornhop is interested in analytical methods on the nanoscale. His back scattering interferometer allows detection of picomolar concentrations of an analyte in nanoliter quantities of sample. This novel technology also provides a means to monitor conformational changes that occur in biological macromolecules upon binding of ligand or a second macromolecule.

Image Source: Brandt Eichman Laboratory, Vanderbilt University, "Electron Density Map of the DNA Glycosylase (AIkD)."