Biomolecular Self-Assembling Materials Scientific and Technological Frontiers (1996) / Chapter Skim
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4 Needed Developments
4 Needed Developments
Pages 22-30
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From page 22... ...
Although the research needs documented below are particular to the area of biomolecular materials, the infrastructure and funding challenges contain many features common to other frontier areas that are emerging at the interfaces between established disciplines. Biomolecular materials is centered at the interface between materials science and biology, two fields that are themselves experiencing strong intellectual and technological progress.
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From page 23... ...
This variability arises from the many possible combinations of phase transition mechanisms (e.g., spinodal decomposition versus nucleation and growth) , including phase transitions of one or more components.
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From page 24... ...
Establishing Design Rules for the Development of Advanced Molecular Materials Improved understanding of the role that molecular structure and self-assembly have in determining molecular architectures leads researchers to be optimistic about the possibility of designing new materials with novel function starting at the level of the molecule, i.e., from the bottom up. Advances in computational techniques have led to a clearer understanding of protein folding.
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From page 25... ...
interactions between simple colloidal particles. As a result, vesicle stabilization methods based on classical colloidal schemes have been successful, including steric stabilization by end-grafting polymers to lipid molecules in the bilayer,45 or electrostatic stabilization, as in the case of equilibrium vesicles made from cationic-anionic surfactant mixtures.46 However, there exist interactions unique to membranes that are less well understood, such as repulsion due to membrane undulations or protrusions, which depend sensitively and in unknown ways on membrane composition, lipid properties, and other factors.
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From page 26... ...
of having a natural membrane environment for the needed peptide or protein to attach to via an anchor. Opportunities for the development of new biomolecular materials based on membrane proteins also stem from the natural tendency of some membrane proteins, such as bacteriorhodopsin and gap junctions, and proteins constituting the outermost wall of bacterial surface layers (S-layers)
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From page 27... ...
An important recent development involves the use of cationic liposomes as non-viral vectors of nucleic acids and recombinant DNA molecules. While the transfection rates and reproducibility in many cells have been found to be significantly enhanced as compared to the other chemical methods involving non-viral vectors, the mechanism of transfection via cationic liposomes remains unknown.
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From page 28... ...
The panel's deliberations led it to agree with the above conclusions, with the added emphasis that as time passes, and as the record of significant results grows and the potential economic impact becomes more apparent, the need for providing the new infrastructure is becoming even more acute. Put simply: The existing infrastructure is not keeping pace with scientific and technological opportunities in the field of biomolecular materials and in other fields that are emerging at the interfaces between established disciplines.
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From page 29... ...
specific organizations and funding programs directly targeted at materials science and engineering were established by the relevant federal agencies, and (2) centers were created at major research universities at a scale that was sufficient to influence the university culture to establish academic programs in the field.
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From page 30... ...
The panel believes that the effectiveness of such a grant program would be enhanced if institutions receiving grants were encouraged to strengthen their ties with government and industrial laboratories. For example, they could make arrangements for outside laboratories to provide summer jobs for their graduate students, and the participating government and industrial researchers could host visitor programs and serve as guest lecturers at the universities receiving the grants.
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