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Nanocapsules with functionalized surfaces and walls (HPRN-CT-2000-00159)

Project management Sleytr Uwe B.
organizational unit Institute of Biophysics
duration 01.09.2000 to- 31.08.2004
Research project (§ 26 & § 27)
Program IHP Improving Human Research Potential and the Socio-Economic Knowledge Base (FP5)
Funder European Commission (EC)
Competencies 

Abstract

Recently a major breakthrough was achieved in the formulation of polymeric artificial nanocapsules. Such capsules can now be made in a reproducible manner having a specific size, shape and in reasonable quantities. This opens a new field of intelligent material with possible sophisticated applications. We expect to bring this research field from the level of basic science to possible application. To achieve this goal we develop the necessary techniques and combine expertise from different fields and laboratories. Now, the first step to allow specific applications is to functionalize the nanocapsules by coating the surface with active sites or to inserting them into the wall. One possible direction is to cover them with lipid membranes providing an artificial cell. We combine these novel technique with recent developments in molecular biology. We will take advantage of natural proteins already optimised by nature for specific tasks and if necessary we will modify them by genetic engineering to adopt them for other purpose. E.g. such nanospheres can harvest specific substrates or release at a specific site encapsulated materials. A second aspect is that these nanocapsules provide a new class of surfaces which will allow to study molecular interactions of surface attached proteins. These studies will permit new types of measurements and provide thus new inside of protein-protein or protein-ligand interaction.

keywords

Publications

Project staff

Portrait Uwe B. Sleytr

Uwe B. Sleytr

em.o.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr. Uwe B. Sleytr
uwe.sleytr@boku.ac.at

Project Leader

01.09.2000 - 31.08.2004

Portrait Dietmar Pum

Dietmar Pum

Ao.Univ.-Prof.i.R. Dipl.-Ing.Dr.techn. Dietmar Pum
dietmar.pum@boku.ac.at

Project Staff

01.09.2000 - 31.08.2004

BOKU partners

Institute of Nanobiotechnology (NBT)

role BOKU coordinator

External partners

Centre National de Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Pharmacologie et de Biologie Struturale

Prof. Mathias Winterhalter

coordinator

Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces

Prof. Helmut Möhwald

partner

National Institute for the Physics of Matter

Prof. Alessandra Gliozzi

partner

Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l´Ecole Normale Superieure

Prof. Eric Perez

partner

Laboratoire de Chimie Physique des Polymeres et Membranes, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Prof. Horst Vogel

partner

Universidade do Porto, Departamento de Enenharia Quimica, Faculdade de Engenharia da

Prof. Manuel Neta Coelho

partner

Funder

Commission of the European Communities