Constraints and Frustration in NanoStructured and BioMolecular Materials

Constraints and Frustration in Nano-Structured and Bio-Molecular Materials MRSEC at Brandeis University (DMR-0820492) PI: Robert B. Meyer 1; Co-PI: Bulbul Chakraborty 1, Irving Epstein 4, Seth Fraden 1; Participants: Zvonimir Dogic 1, Jeff Gelles 2, Bruce 3 3 1 1 3 1 4 5 Goode , James Haber , Michael Hagan , Jane Kondev , Daniela Nicastro , Azadeh Samadani , Bing Xu , Robert Pelcovits , David Barrett 6. Departments of 1 Physics, 2 Biochemistry, 3 Biology, 4 Chemistry, Brandeis University, 415 South St. , Waltham, MA 02454; 5 Department of Physics, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912; 6 Olin College of Engineering, Olin Way, Needham, MA 02492. Research Aim To establish a new understanding of both how functioning biological systems are built from their carefully constrained material components, and how to design and control material constraints, to copy nature and build synthetic functional nano-systems. Research Approaches Thrust 1: To study the effects of localization of biopolymers both in vivo (by fluorescence microscopy) and in vitro (using microfluidic devices). Thrust 2: To study the effects of chirality in frustrating long range order in both crystals and membranes, resulting in complex new structures. Thrust 3: To study “active matter, ” with the initial focus on dynamical systems are capable of producing similar spatial and temporal patterns. Seed Projects: i) analysis of eukaryotic flagella ; ii) Intracellular hydrogelation and self-assembly; iii) dynamics of transcription factor release from DNA Research Accomplishments Education, Outreach, & Facility