CREST Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines

University Of California - Merced, Merced CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) program supports the enhancement of research capabilities of institutions through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. CREST promotes the development of new knowledge, enhancements of the research productivity of individual faculty, and an expanded presence of students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. With National Science Foundation support, the University of California – Merced builds on the successes of the Center for Cellular and Biomolecular Machines (CCBM) Phase I, leading to institutional transformation and new scientific horizons. In Phase II, the Center will use an interdisciplinary approach cutting across scientific and engineering methodologies to: •pursue a fundamental understanding of the adaptive and responsive functioning of multi-scale biomolecular and cellular assemblies that enable control of function in vivo; •use these fundamental principles for designing and developing novel bio-inspired functioning machines ranging from designer nanodevices, cells and tissue to diagnostic and therapeutic devices; and •refine, augment, and institutionalize CCBM’s signature integrated, interdisciplinary graduate training program that combines scientific and professional skills with supervision of research and training experiences for undergraduate and high school students aimed at enhancing and developing career opportunities in STEM fields. By integrating research and education, the Center aims to develop a robust STEM workforce at all levels and produce graduates in both physical and biological sciences and can pursue cross-disciplinary STEM careers in academia, laboratories or industry. Three thrusts are presented and defined according to their scale (nano, meso, and multicellular). Thrust 1: Protein Metamorphosis and Responsive Nanodevices. Phase II research focuses on the emerging theme of protein metamorphosis as mechanism to enable natural and synthetic controllable biological nanodevices, organized in two broad areas: the functional roles of gradually morphing proteins; and engineering of control systems of the assembly-disassembly of biological macromolecular assemblies. Thrust 2: Adaptive and Responsive Mesoscale Assemblies. In Phase II, the focus is to understand the mechanisms that enable assemblies to function collectively in adaptive and responsive ways as well as exploiting them for applications. Thrust 3: Adaptive Cellular Communication. Phase II will examine the impact of cell-cell and cell-matrix mechanical interactions on collective cell motility, patterning and the emergence of function, combining experimental and modeling approaches. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.