EAGER: Chiral Membranes for Protein Resistance

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY

Investigators

Abstract

1546589 RPI Belfort This EAGER proposal is potentially a high risk high payoff effort as it involves a transformative, new approach to reduce non-specific protein-membrane surface interactions. Recently the PI discovered that membrane surface chirality influences filtration with protein solutions. A molecule is considered chiral if there exists another molecule that is of identical composition, but which is arranged in a non-superposable mirror image, i.e. similar to human hands. Non-specific protein adhesion or protein fouling occurs with synthetic membrane filtration in bioprocessing, with marine structures and with medical devices. This undesired adhesion of proteins is a major technical and economic challenge. Reducing these limitations with chiral surfaces would be significant and have broad impact. The PI proposes that the surface should have the same chirality as a protein (the chiral hypothesis). The goals of the research are to (i) confirm, expand and investigate the role of chirality with respect to protein resistance, and (ii) determine if chiral membranes can fractionate enantiomers for small molecules. This radically different approach to possibly reducing protein fouling is in its early stages and is potentially transformative for bioprocessing.