Physicists and biologists at Florida State University are joining forces in a unique partnership with potential implications for advancing medical science and combating bioterrorism with tiny devices.
Scientists from FSU's biology department have teamed up with the physics department and the Center for Materials Research and Technology (MARTECH) to conduct groundbreaking research incorporating biological matter into nano scale machines.
"There has been a lot of speculation about how nano scale devices in general will improve our lives," said biology Professor Bryant Chase, coordinator for one of the two research projects the scientists will undertake. "If even only 1 percent of the speculation turns out to be correct, our lives will be greatly improved."
One project involves the creation of a hybrid biological/mechanical actuator, a sort of tiny motor powered by protein. Using a nickel rod 100 nanometers in diameter - about 1,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair - the researchers hope to build a motor powered by the same proteins and fuel that muscles use to move. The research could produce a device that moves about in the body to perform a variety of functions, such as delivering powerful medicine at the center of a tumor or controlling the flow of blood in a damaged artery.
The second project aims to build a nano size biological sensor that can detect a single molecule of various substances in the body and viruses in the air. Researchers hope to develop a portable blood chemistry test kit that doctors and emergency medical technicians could carry in their pockets. These professionals could determine on-the-spot whether someone has suffered a heart attack by measuring in a single drop of blood the level of certain proteins released after a heart attack. A lengthy lab test is now required to detect these protein levels.
The National Science Foundation awarded FSU $1 million over the next four years for the biological sensor research. While the primary objective is to build the prototype blood chemistry test kit, the same technology could aid the fight against bioterrorism with devices that detect harmful viruses in the air, said physics Professor Seunghun Hong, coordinator for the project.
"This project reflects the enthusiasm nationwide to develop rapid alarm systems to protect our homes from bioterrorism and other hazardous biological substances," Hong said. "Like smoke detectors in homes today, our future homes may be equipped with various virus detectors."
The federal Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is funding the biological/mechanical motor research with $800,000 for the next 18 months. FSU is eligible for another $1.2 million to continue the research if the initial phase shows promise.
Chase noted that engineers have yet to produce a motor that operates with the efficiency or the duration of motors produced by Mother Nature. Motors consisting of biological molecules will also be more environmentally friendly because the material is non-toxic and biodegradable. Evolution has also provided a wide variety of biological motors that have unique characteristics, such as ones that perform well in extreme cold, which has the military interested in FSU's research.
This partnership between the biology and physics departments sets a significant precedent for FSU and other research institutions, said Peng Xiong, a MARTECH physicist and a team member on both projects.
"This says that we're really at the forefront of these exciting areas of research," Xiong said. "Everybody talks about conducting interdisciplinary research, but it's usually really hard to get that ball rolling. In this case, we've done it."
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