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CeNS Colloquium

Place: Adolf-von-Baeyer-Hörsaal, Butenandtstr. 5-13
Date: 21.07.10, Time: 17:15 h

Engineered Biotic/Abiotic Materials and Interfaces for Understanding and Controlling Biology

Prof. Jeffrey Brinker
The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque

C. Jeffrey Brinker1,2,3,4, Carlee Ashley1, Eric Carnes1, Bryan Kaehr4
1Departments of Chemical and Nuclear Engineering and 2Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, the 3UNM Cancer Research and Treatment Center, 4Sandia National Laboratories

 

In recent work we have shown that yeast, bacterial, and mammalian cells, when introduced into self-assembling solutions of phospholipids and soluble silica, serve as living colloids directing the formation of unique biotic/abiotic interfaces and architectures through cellular response pathways such as the high osmolarity glycerol pathway observed in yeast. The result is a lipid-associated cellular interface coherently incorporated within a surrounding lipid templated silica nanostructure. This structure preserves cell viability under externally desiccating conditions, allowing probing of the behavior of individual cells for the first time under conditions of complete chemical and physical isolation. For individual Staphylococcus aureus, we show that self-signaling within this confined environment induces genetic re-programming of the cell according to a two-component regulatory pathway normally associated with high cellular density i.e. quorum sensing. This discrete quorum sensing allows S. aureus to sense confinement and to activate virulence and metabolic pathways needed for survival. Overall we show that cellular confinement within self-assembled and lithographically defined environments reinforces chemically and mechanically induced pathways recently recognized as being important in controlling behavior of not only bacteria but also cancer. Turning these lipid-associated silica nanostructures inside out, we have also recently explored lipid bilayers supported on mesoporous silica nanoparticles (aka protocells) as a new nanoparticle delivery agent, allowing the targeted delivery of arbitrary cargo to arbitrary cancer with unprecedented specificity. Compared to current liposomal delivery agents, protocells show a million-fold greater killing efficacy.