Nanotechnology Institute Researcher Part of $8.3 Million Project Funded by U.S. National Institutes of Health

Project to Develop New Analytical Platforms for Drug Discoveries and Improved Detection of Human Microbial Pathogens

Dr. Hicham Fenniri and collaborators from the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute (LJBI) have received an $8.3 million [Canadian] five-year grant to develop new molecular analysis tools using Raman flow cytometry. These new tools, which will measure the quantity, modification, and function of proteins while flowing in a liquid stream, have great potential for pharmaceutical and biomedical research, including the detection and treatment of microbial pathogens.

Dr. Fenniri, a Group Leader at the National Institute for Nanotechnology (NINT) of the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta, believes this partnership could revolutionize drug discovery and systems biology. This project will build on his previous work that developed a way to "bar code" individual chemical compounds, making it quick, easy and economical to identify the most biologically-active ones among thousands of candidates in the drug-screening process. To dramatically speed up the read out of these ‘bar codes’, a novel analytical platform had to be designed. So in collaboration with Dr. John Nolan and his colleagues at the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, the partners will build and test a new instrument – a Raman flow cytometer.

A specific target area of this partnership is the detection and treatment of human microbial pathogens. By increasing the knowledge of virulence factors and their mode of action, researcher will be better able to identify targets for development for countermeasures. This partnership will initially focus on applying Raman Flow Cytometry and barcoded bead technology to the development of new reagents for the detection and treatment of microbial pathogens and their toxins, including influenza virus. Functional analysis of toxin binding and catalysis will be used to identify new peptide compounds that can be used for diagnostic or therapeutic applications. Fenniri predicts that the technological platforms to be developed by this partnership will enable large-scale biomolecular analysis and separations essential in systems biology, combinatorial chemistry, and materials sciences.

The grant from the National Institute of Bioimaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) will fund a multidisciplinary Bioengineering Research Partnership involving engineers, biologists and chemists from academia, government and industry both in the U.S. and Canada for the development of new technology platforms and their applications in drug discovery and biomedical diagnostics.

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A complete description of the project is available at http://nint-innt.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/research/supra_projects_e.html

For more information or to arrange interviews with Dr. Fenniri, please contact:

Shannon Jones
National Institute for Nanotechnology
National Research Council of Canada
Tel: (780) 492-8636
E-mail:shannon.jones@nrc.gc.ca

Backgrounder

Project Description

The Bioengineering Research Partnership (BRP) aims to develop a powerful new analytical platform for high throughput screening and selection based on Raman Flow Cytometry. This Partnership will develop new analytical instrumentation, optically-encoded polymer resins for chemical synthesis and screening, and nanostructured materials with unique optical properties for sensitive reporting and encoding. The new technology will perform Raman spectroscopy on single particles in flow to enable new applications in detection, drug discovery, and diagnostics. Raman Flow Cytometry instrumentation and applications will be developed by a partnership involving engineers, biologists, and chemists from academia, government and industry.

In the first year of the project, a commercial particle sorter will be modified to detect individual Raman vibrational bands from single particles and sort these particles based on their optical signature. In years two to five, work will concentrate on developing the ability to collect and analyze complete Raman spectra from single particles. During that same time, the Partnership will develop new encoding and reporting strategies for molecular analysis and separation. This Raman Flow Cytometry technology will be applied to the development of therapeutics and diagnostics for bacterial pathogens and their toxins. It will also be an important and general new analytical and separation capability that will impact many areas of basic and applied biomedical research in addition to the applications proposed here.

The five year grant is valued at $ 8.3 million Canadian (roughly $6.4 million U.S.) for the whole Partnership.

Partners

Dr. Hicham Fenniri leads the Supramolecular Nanoscale Assembly Group at the National Institute for Nanotechnology, and is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Alberta. His work in organic chemistry, combining supramolecular and combinatorial chemistry to develop self-assembled, complex molecular structures with programmable properties has to lead to the synthesis of molecular structures that have a wide range of application in nano-electronics, drug design and delivery, and materials science. Dr. Fenniri was educated at Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, receiving his undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemistry. Prior to joining NINT, Fenniri was a Chemistry Professor at Purdue University.

Dr. John Nolan is a Senior Scientist and Principal Investigator at the La Jolla Bioengineering Institute. His research interests are in the quantitative analysis of biomolecular systems, with the goal of developing a predictive understanding that can be used to design new approaches to detect and treat disease. To help achieve this goal, his group develops methods and instrumentation to enable quantitative, high throughput measurements of molecular composition, interactions, and functions. They have a particular interest in cell membrane-based phenomenon including ligand-receptor interactions, and the compartmentalization, transport, and function of macromolecules within the cell. Prior to LJBI, Dr. Nolan was Director of the NIH National Flow Cytometry Resource at Los Alamos National Laboratory, where he led a group of biologists, physicist and engineers in the development of new flow cytometry instruments and applications. Dr. Nolan received B.S. degrees in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Illinois, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from The Pennsylvania State University.

Other partners in this project include Dr. Steven Graves, of the Bioscience Division and National Flow Cytometry Resource at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Dr. Steve Doorn, of the Chemistry Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Union Biometrica, Boston, MA.

Established in 2001, the National Institute for Nanotechnology is an integrated, multidisciplinary research institution involving researchers in physics, chemistry, engineering, biology, informatics, pharmacy and medicine that conducts advanced research and fosters innovation in support of a new generation of nanotechnology-based firms. NINT is operated as a partnership between the National Research Council and the University of Alberta, and is jointly funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta and the university. Website: www.nint.ca

The La Jolla Bioengineering Institute (LJBI) is a non-profit research organization focused on applying engineering principles to fighting disease and improving human health. The Institute has a strong focus on cardiovascular physiology, tissue engineering, and biomaterials, as well as activities in immunology, host-microbe interactions, and biomedical technology development. Research funding for the Institute comes primarily from competitive research grants from the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies, as well as from industrial partners. Founded in 2001, and located on La Jolla Cove overlooking the Pacific Ocean, LJBI provides an outstanding environment for cutting edge biomedical research. Website: www.ljbi.org

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the principal biomedical and behavioral research agency of the United States Government. NIH is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIBIB coordinates with biomedical imaging and bioengineering programs of other agencies and NIH institutes to support imaging and engineering research with potential medical applications and facilitates the transfer of such technologies to medical applications. Website: www.nibib1.nih.go