| Affiliations: | |
| Project Leader: | Samuel Mabbott smabbott@tamu.edu Biomedical Engineering |
| Faculty Mentor: | Dr. Samuel Mabbott, Ph.D. |
|
Meeting Times:
|
TBA |
|
Team Size:
|
7
|
| Open Spots: | 0 |
|
Special Opportunities:
|
Co-authorship on publications, involvement in I-Corps and potential future recruitment
|
|
Team Needs:
|
Arduino coding, embedded electronics, 3-D printing, CAD (Fusion 360/SOLIDWORKS), General laboratory synthesis. |
|
Description:
|
Metallic nanoparticles composed of gold and silver exhibit unique optical and physical properties. These properties can be exploited in many biomedical applications, including imaging, targeted therapeutics, and diagnostics. Controlling the nanostructural features is key to optimizing the properties of the particles. Despite significant progress over recent years, nanoparticle synthesis relies on manual manipulation of chemical reagents and fabrication environments, contributing to nanostructural variability. It is believed that comprehensive automation of chemical synthesis, not only concerning nanoparticle fabrication, will instigate a ‘synthetic renaissance’ whereby chemical reactions can be more carefully controlled, resulting in more efficient processes with minimal variability. Therefore, automation can impact academic and industrial research, meaning associated projects are also well aligned for future commercialization. As a group, we focus on designing particles that can be used mainly for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. To enable particle discovery and investigation, we have created several bespoke instruments. Currently, we can automatically and accurately control the dimensions of gold nanospheres using a tool we call NanoSynth. Still, we want to further research and progress beyond current fabrication limitations to synthesize particles with complex morphologies (stars and cubes) shown to exhibit superior therapeutic and optical properties in contrast to spheres. The project requires a multi-interdisciplinary team capable of combining CAD, 3-D printing, Arduino programming, embedded electronics, and chemical synthesis to automate the process of creating complex nanoparticles. Beyond designing the instrument, the team will also be responsible for market research and integral to future commercialization efforts. |