Biological Synthesis of Nanoparticles for the Application of Bioengineering and Biotechnology in Army
Abstract
Objectives and Methods: The research objective of this project at Alabama A&M University, one of the leading HBCUs, is to genetically engineer E. coli cells to simplify the processes of nanoparticle biosynthesis in bacteria and help scale up to large scale nanoparticle production for the biomedical and bioengineering application in Army. Specifically, our goals include: 1) Clone or synthesize genes that have been implicated in nanoparticle synthesis in various bacteria and transform the genes into E. coli host cells; 2) Construct fosmid libraries that contain large fragment of genomic DNA from bacteria known to be able to synthesize nanoparticles and transform these libraries into E. coli cells; 3) Examine the ability of these engineered E. coli cells to resist heavy metal ions and synthesize various nanoparticles; 4) Characterize the properties of nanoparticles using different methods; 5) Optimize the conditions that allow the engineered E. coli cells to produce monodisperse, morphologically uniform nanoparticles at large scale; 6) analyze and measure the spectroscopic and optical properties of the biosynthesized nanoparticles and determine size/shape-property relationships; 7) Investigate the interaction of biosynthesized nanoparticles with other materials and explore the fabrication of nanoparticle-based nanostructures and devices. Intellectual Merit: This project is potentially transformative, and could create a new nanoparticle synthesis paradigm using biological method, and will benefit the research community by providing new approaches for the synthesis of nanoparticles. The project will greatly benefit Army research and contribute to the mission of ARL by providing biological synthesis of nanoparticles for tailored properties and applications. The engineered E. coli cells developed in this project will produce various nanoparticles ranging from metallic to semiconducting nanoparticles, and can be easily and conveniently used by the Army researchers for research and economical and rapid development of biotechnology. The biological synthesis has advantage over chemical synthesis, and is a cost-effective, non-toxic, and environmentally benign green approach that do not use toxic chemicals to produce nanoparticles. The biosynthesis method using bacteria as a factory can produce shape and size controlled nanoparticles, and can be used for fast and large scale production. Broader Impacts: The primary educational goal of this project is to integrate the research objectives to enhance the educational experiences of students. Post-doctor research assistant, graduate and undergraduate students will be mentored to perform research in biotechnology and nanofabrication in the project. The project will greatly enhance the development of PIÕs molecular biology research Lab at AAMU. The collaboration between AAMU and ARL will be built through the project. The project will significantly increase opportunities for minority students who will become tomorrowÕs researchers in government, academia, and industries to perform research and to be trained with biotechnology and nanofabrication in their pursuit of academic excellence (95% students at AAMU are minority students).
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Mar 21, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1810444
Entities
People
- Qunying Yuan
Organizations
- Alabama A & M College
- Army Contracting Command
- Office of the Secretary of Defense