Abstract:

Interfacing nanoscale materials with bioactive molecules is important for the design of therapeutics, sensors, and functional composites. This talk will describe our efforts to design potent nanoscale therapeutics and novel nanostructured materials.

We are designing potent inhibitors of anthrax toxin based on the concept of polyvalency -- the simultaneous binding of multiple ligands on one biological entity to multiple receptors on another. Since the major symptoms and death from anthrax are due primarily to the action of anthrax toxin, the toxin is a prime target for therapeutic intervention. We will describe the design and characterization of polyvalent inhibitors that are several orders of magnitude more potent than the corresponding monovalent inhibitors and can neutralize anthrax toxin in vivo. We will also discuss strategies for designing inhibitors based on other scaffolds, including liposomes, as well as more fundamental aspects of molecular recognition.

We are also investigating the structure and function of biological molecules immobilized onto other types of nanoscale scaffolds, such as carbon nanotubes. While it is well known that interfacing biological molecules with nanomaterials may influence nanomaterial properties, we have found that the nanoscale environment can also influence protein function. Functionalization with biomolecules also provides a method for controlling the assembly of nanomaterials. We will also discuss these and other approaches for organizing nanomaterials into macroscopic structures.