Acquisition of a Nanoscopic Imaging and Analysis Platform for Understanding the Mission Versatility of Membrane Proteins
Abstract
We apply for financial support towards the purchase and establishment of a nanoscopic imagingand analysis platform that will be required for the execution of my funded AFOSR YIP project(initiated from May, 2017). The scientific aim of the AFOSR YIP project is to develop andimplement a new nanoscopic biophysics imaging tool where the near-atomic resolution imagingcapabilities of electron microscopy—which is conventionally limited to static, dried or flashfrozenspecimens—are harnessed to study dynamic biological samples preserved in their nativeliquid environment. Cell membrane proteins are the system of interest; due to their size and thefact that their functions depend on configurational dynamics, they are an ideal system in which todevelop this imaging technology. Moreover, membrane proteins play a central role in myriad lifeprocesses, including virtually all those relevant to the Air Force’s mission to augment humanperformance and protection, and to the Air Force Biophysics Program’s mission to betterunderstand bioelectricity and electromagnetic stimulation below the diffraction limit. Additionally,membrane proteins’ responsive structures suggest design and operation principles which canaddress the emerging needs of the Air Force for modernized, adaptive, and multi-functionalweapons and materials. Current state-of-the art biophysics tools, however, are unable to directlyobserve the nanoscale structural dynamics of membrane proteins, as they have to compromisebetween high-resolution imaging and preserving the liquid environment in which membraneprotein dynamics occur. We will bridge this gap with a novel implementation of liquid-phasetransmission electron microscopy, which utilizes an electron-transparent “nano-aquarium,”composed of atomically thin graphene or silicon nitride windows, to observe individual membraneproteins in real time and at unmatched resolution.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 11, 2018
- Source ID
- FA95501810393
Entities
People
- Qian Chen
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign