[Todos] PROXIMOS SEMINARIOS

[Fernando V. Molina]

Lunes 28 de julio de 2008 - 13 hs

Aula de Seminarios del INQUIMAE, 3er piso Pab. II


Prof. Igal Szleifer
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Northwestern University



Ligand-receptor binding in confined environments: from specific
protein adsorption to nanoparticle attachment


Abstract:
Ligand-receptor binding is a ubiquitous process in biology and it has 
been the basis for the design of biosensors and drug delivery 
systems. The question that we address in this presentation is what is 
the best way to optimize binding when the ligands and receptors are 
in a confined environment. This important practical question is one 
example of the more general problem of the effect of confinement in 
chemical equilibrium reactions. To understand this question we will 
present predictions form a molecular theoretical approach that 
enables us to understand the relationship between molecular 
organization, packing and ligand-receptor binding. Explicit 
comparisons with experimental observations will be shown where the 
predictions of the theory are in very good agreement with 
experimental observations. We will discuss three different scenarios. 
The first is when both ligand and receptor are attached to surfaces, 
in the presence of polymer spacers. This case is relevant for cell 
binding and in the case of interactions between liposomes and cell 
membranes. The second problem relates to the way in which the binding 
of proteins to surfaces and nanoparticles can be optimized using 
polymer molecules as spacers. The last case involves the binding of 
polymer-coated nanoparticles to surfaces. In these systems we discuss 
the role that surface mobility of the ligands has on the binding and 
how this effect can be used to optimize targeted drug delivery. The 
results of the theory will be summarized in terms of how to design 
surface coatings for surfaces and nanoparticles that optimize binding 
by the proper understanding of the coupling between molecular 
interactions, confinement and the flexibility of polymer molecules.
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