BIOMACH: Molecular machines - design and nano-scale handling of biological antetypes and artificial mimics

• Forschungsstelle: EU FRP
• Projektnummer: 03.0576-2
• Projekttitel Englisch: BIOMACH: Molecular machines - design and nano-scale handling of biological antetypes and artificial mimics

Schlüsselwörter (Englisch)

Self-Assembly; NanoHandling; Biophysics; Bio-machines; Supramolecular Chemistry; Theoretical Simulations

Alternative Projektnummern (Englisch)

EU project number: 505487

Forschungsprogramme (Englisch)

EU-programme: 6. Frame Research Programme - 1.3 Telematic systems

Kurzbeschreibung (Englisch)

See abstract

Weitere Hinweise und Angaben (Englisch)

Full name of research-institution/enterprise:
Computational Science
Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences ETH Zürich

Abstract (Englisch)

We propose the set-up of a cross-disciplinary research initiative dealing with molecular machines, in particular biological and artificial motors. A close collaboration between chemists known for their expertise in designing functional (bio)molecular motors, biophysicists experienced in dealing with molecular bio machines and physicists with an excellent background in expt2'imental techniques addressing single molecules will advance the basic understating in this domain to be employed for the steering of molecular engines in the nanometre regime. State-of-the-art theoretical calculations will guide the experimental work and allow for its in-depth interpretation.
The objective of the project is to develop new concepts and advance research tools to master the challenge of handling nano-engines at the single-molecule level. We expect that the implementation and integration of the complementary scientific approaches within the consortium will lead to synergetic research achievements. While biological systems are abundant in nature, their fuelling relies mostly on specific chemical reaction schemes and environments. On the other hand, the challenge of the design of functional artificial molecular motors has been met by synthetic chemists represented in the consortium Of particular interest is the fact that de novo designed artificial engines are frequently photo-physically and/oc electrically driven, i.e., the corresponding fuelling systems can be integrated in single-molecule experimental set-ups. The long-term vision of our research initiative is, firstly, to merge the advantages of the accessible biological and artificial systems by (self- )assembling of hybrid bio-inorganic working devices and, secondly, to rationalize and to operate them on the single-molecule level.

Datenbankreferenzen (Englisch)

Swiss Database: Euro-DB of the
State Secretariat for Education and Research
Hallwylstrasse 4
CH-3003 Berne, Switzerland
Tel. [phone]
Swiss Project-Number: 03.0576-2