Download Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders)

Ciência sem Fronteiras (Science Without Borders)
DCU PhD Project Template:
**Please use one form per project**
Please complete & submit to [email protected] by Friday 13th July
PI name & contact details:
School:
Professor Tia Keyes, School of Chemical Sciences, Dublin
City University, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.
Email: [email protected]
Tel 00353 1 7008185
Chemical Sciences
Has project been agreed with head (or
nominee) of proposed registration school?
Yes
Research Centre / group affiliation:
National Biophotonics and Imaging Platform & National
Centre for Sensor Research
http://www.nbipireland.ie/
Research group / centre website:
PI website / link to CV:
http://www.dcu.ie/info/staff_member.php?id_no=1002
http://www.dcu.ie/chemistry/biographies/tia_keyes.shtml
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
Prof Keyes has runs a mutltidisciplinary research team focussed on three key areas: , fluorescent
probes for environmental sensing inside living cells, bioinsipired nanoscale materials and tissues
and supramolecular interfacial films for solar energy,. shas published approx. 140 papers in
international peer reviewed journals in these and related areas.
Tia is the DCU director of the National Biophotonics and Imaging Platform.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
Nanoporous Arrays for Capture and Analysis of Live Cells for Imaging and Disease Detection
The ability to selectively capture and introduce reagent to single intact cells or platelets
introduced from cell culture medium or a clinical sample is of significant interest in diagnostics,
in pharmacological and physiological studies of drugs/cell interactions and for studying the
biochemical behaviour of single cells.
This project will focus on (a) The fabrication of spherical gold cavity arrays with diameters from
200 nm and 5000 nanometers (b) Modification of these arrays with surface active peptide and
antibody (c) Assessment of the arrays ability to capture (i) human blood platelets when the
platelets are in their inactive (non-clot forming) and activated (thrombotic) conformations as a
means of assessing risk of thrombosis (ii) Cancer cell lines , for disease detection.
For (i) This will be achieved by functionalising the top surface of the array with a synthetic
peptide which recognises a transmembrane protein at the blood platelets surface and has
greater selectivity for thrombotic platelets. The ability of these arrays to capture human blood
platelets at the pores will be explored using confocal fluorescence microscopy and
electrochemical capacitance studies. The platelet on/off rates will be explored as a function of
cavity size and platelet activation status. The capture of non-platelets ie. non specific
absorption of mammalian cells will also be compared with capture of mammalian cells
expressing peptide recognition transmembrane proteins.
For (ii) the antibody capture will be employed and discrimination of cancer vs non-cancerous
cell lines will be compared.
Sample References:
o
Emission enhancement within gold spherical nanocavity arrays, B. Jose, U. Neugeburger, R
Forster, T E. Keyes. Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2009, 11, 10923.
o
Protein Nanopatterning and Release from Gold Nanocavity Arrays, C. Mallon, B.
Jose, T.E. Keyes, R.J. Forster, Chem. Comm., 2010, 46, 106.
o
o
Single Nanocavity Electrodes:
Fabrication, Electrochemical and Photonic
Properties.. C. Mallon, T.E. Keyes, & RJ Forster, Chem. Commun., 2010, 46, 7109–
7111, Front Cover
o
Unique selling points of PhD project in DCU:
DCU projects should offer something that’s not available in Brazil – specific equipment, multi-disciplinarity,
aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research groups etc.
Students will gain experience on state of the art instrumentation, and methods within a
multidisciplinary team, the project will particularly focus on nanofabrication, interfacial self
assembly, microscopy/spectroscopy and (Raman & fluorescence) and cell culture.
This work will be carried out in collaboration with colleagues in Royal College of Surgeons in
Ireland.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Chemistry, Materials Science or Biochemistry
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only
one (tick box):
Engineering and other technological areas
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)
Health and Biomedical Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
Aerospace
Pharmaceuticals
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technology of prevention and remediation of natural disasters
Biodiversity and Bioprospection
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
Please complete
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