Module 6: Applied Projects in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology

Projects in module 6: Nanoscale technology and applications

Biophysical and pharmacokinetic analysis of peptide nano-particles

Ueli Aebi, University of Basel

In this project nano-particles which self-assemble from rationally designed peptides into regular polyhedra, are examined. Depending on their specific use which may be in repetitive antigen display, drug delivery and targeting or bio-imaging applications, the constitutent peptides may be functionalized. For example, bacterial or viral antigens may be fused to the peptides for synthetic vaccine design, or pathfinder and/or diagnostic or therapeutic compounds may be grafted onto the peptides. As a prerequisite for clinical applications, both the native and functionalized nano-particles have to be carefully characterized and scrutinized in terms of their stability, toxicity, biocompatibility and biodegradability. Towards this goal, researchers from the M.E. Müller Institute for Structural Biology at the Biozentrum in Basel have teamed up with colleagues from the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington DC (USA), and the biotech start-up company Alpha-O Peptides AG in Allschwil.

Polymer substrates for waveguide based analysis of DNA/ Protein Arrays

Uwe Pieles, FHNW

Today, chips for the optical waveguide based detection of biomolecules such as genes or proteins are manufactured from glass plates.
Together with the Paul Scherrer Institute in Villigen and the company Zeptosens in Witterswil, the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz would like to accomplish a project, in which those glass plates shall be replaced by less expensive, nano-structured polymere substrates. The aim of the scientists is to manufacture the substrates in a suitable injection moulding - or hot embossing process. Therefore, they are first going to test different polymers. Subsequently, a suitable procedure of functionalisation shall be developed, with which peptide, proteins or DNA-sequences can be bound.

Investigation of adhesion and corrosion on interfaces

Thomas Jung, PSI

On many technological applications the adhesion characteristics on interfaces are an important task. In some applications, for example, it is desirable to have surfaces to which lime cannot stick. In medical technology and in the building of satellites, electronic components are linked by applying thinnest layers of metal as conductor path on flexible carriers. These shall adhere as long and as well as possible.
It is the aim of this project to develop and establish a robust measuring method with which adhesion characteristics of different materials on nanometer level can be determined. In this project, researchers of the Paul Scherrer Institute and the University of Basel co-operate with colleagues of the companies Hightec (Lenzburg) and Geberit (Jona).

Security characteristics on plastic cards

Jens Gobrecht, PSI and FHNW

Credit cards, documents of identification or driving licences in the small card format are on the advance. In order to increase the falsification safety, micro-optical structures, such as holograms and tilting pictures are used on these cards. Future production technologies should not only allow the cost effective manufacturing of these features but also of integrated nano-structures that can be read by machines. Presently, such processes do not exist. In this project, scientists of the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz, of the Paul Scherrer Institute and of the Trüb AG (Aarau) are working on the feasibility of a new, still proprietary replication process on prefabricated cards.