Nano-Bio:Synergy of Biology, Physics and Chemistry

Yehiam PriorDean, Faculty of Chemistry

November 2011

Nano-Bio:Synergy of Biology, Physics and Chemistry

Import and Integrate insights, tools and methodologies from Biology, Physics and Chemistry - to understand material systems on the nano scale and develop new concepts and functionalities

Henry Moore Top Down

Bottom up

Top Down

Microelectronics

Gordon Moore

Gordon Moore

Smaller

Difficult

Top Down Fabrication

Water

Fullerene

Molecules

0.1 1 10 100 1000 10000 100000 Nanometers

PG5 - The largest molecule synthesized

(30 nm diameter)

Bottom up

May have started “top down” :

“Then the LORD God formed a man fromthe dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.”

Genesis, chapter 2, verse 6

But eventually we (i.e. science) adopted the ‘central dogma’ of molecular biology:

DNARNAProteins….. ….cells organisms

Living Things(or is it “top” down?)

Bottom up

X1000 times actual size

0.001 inch Diameter

Chemistry

Material Science

Biology

Physics

Nano-Bio

Electrical EngineeringMechanics

How can we study this regime?

The Challenges of Nano-Bio Research:

Molecules Bulk Matter?Living things

What is it there – Chemistry? Physics? Biology?

In microelectronics, complex systems are routinely fabricated

Can we fabricate complex biological entities outside the cell and study them on a chip ?

The Challenges of Nano-Bio Research:

Biological recognition is very well adapted and extremely specific.

Can we adopt the biological methodology for specific functionalities?

• Bio sensors? • Sensors for Hazardous materials ?• Disease early detection?

The Challenges of Nano-Bio Research:

• Molecular specificity using biological recognition :

Integrate the electronics and the biological functions into the Nano scale:

• Remote sensing• Independent monitoring

The Challenges of Nano-Bio Research:

• Further miniaturization is more and more difficult, can we develop molecular computers?

• Can we study the transition from the classical everyday world to the quantum regime, in particular in biological systems?

• How can we learn from Nature’s approach to the assembly of living creatures and apply it to other complex structures?

The Challenges of Nano-Bio Research:

• Knowledge of scaled up molecular and biological processes

• Exchange of ideas and concepts

• Integrated programs to educate Students and scientists

• Teach - “Biology to non-biologists” - “Chemistry to non-chemists”

- ….......• Infrastructure to fabricate and measure on

the 10-100 nm scale

What is needed?

• Excellent scientists from the different disciplines

• A culture of no boundaries between departments

• Dedication to Basic Science

• Flexible hiring and readiness to change

Why at Weizmann?

• Establish a state of the art facility, with a wide variety of instrumentation, and the support of highly trained staff scientists

• Make it available to biologists, physicists, and chemists both within and outside the Institute

• Invite and encourage collaborations

• Wait…

What is the plan ?

• NMR• AFM• XPS• …….