Microbes in nanotechnology

Project description

Cell surfaces must cope with a wide range of molecules and submicrometer particles. This is particularly true of marine microbes. We have found that some marine microbes have unusual surface patterns that appear to sort particles, passively separating the desirable from the undesirable. This is the only laboratory in the world working on this and the innovation has been recognized by the Australian Research Council and the US National Science foundation through grants for research. Projects involve studying the movement of particles across cell surfaces to better understand cell-surface ecology. The nanotechnology spinoff is that we have used this information to help control macromolecule movement in microfluidic systems. The goal is to contribute to the design of efficient ‘analytical laboratories on a computer chip’ systems.

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