High Speed Imaging System for Biofabricated Nanomaterials and Sensing Device Research
Abstract
Coupling the chemical and physical tunability of biofabricated nanostructures to fluidic platforms that create on-demand localized confinement and shuttle flow can advance platforms for the selection and screening of receptors to small molecule targets. Such receptors are essential within several emerging sensors of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) projects in environmental and human performance monitoring systems. In this DURIP grant application, we seek to acquire a high-speed imaging system for improving quantification and throughput of the measurements carried out in the AFOSR project (FA2386-21-1-0470). This project develops nanoconfined biofabricated material and device platforms for the selection of receptors (Aim 1) and for transduction within sensor paradigms (Aim 2) to detect small molecule, protein, and synthetic biology targets of relevance to environmental and human performance biomarker monitoring. For this purpose, nanostructured material and fluidic platforms that initiate confinement around biomolecule-immobilized beads will be developed using collapsible diaphragms that are created on microfabricated membranes of PDMS (poly-di-methyl-siloxane). The proposed imaging system will enable more quantitative and high throughput measurement of the deformation of increasingly thin PDMS diaphragms with nanofabricated features (posts and grooves) that are designed to spatially control confinement. In this manner, the acquired imaging system can measure and modulate the confinement level required to initiate competitive binding of flowing aptamer libraries with small molecule targets, thereby enabling the selection of receptors based on their binding affinity parameters. These receptors will then be screened for sensing in sample matrices against appropriate negative controls. The instrument will be housed in the PI s lab that adjoins the microfabrication core facility of the university and the instrument will be added to the suite of equipment from the core that can be reserved by potential users through the iLAB platform.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Feb 05, 2025
- Source ID
- FA95502410057
Entities
People
- Nathan S. Swami
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- United States Air Force
- University of Virginia