Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting - October 25-30, 2015

Polymers and Self Assembly: From Biology to Nanomaterials Poster Session II

29-POS Board 29 Precision Assembly of Biologically Functional Abiotic/Biotic Materials Carlo Montemagno . University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Mankind has crafted its world through the creative manipulation of a small number of fundamental machines. In the agricultural and mechanical ages all the trappings of civilization were crafted from the six fundamental machines of physics: the screw; the wheel and axle; the incline plane; the lever; the pulley; and the wedge. The modern electronic age was established through the addition of five fundamental machines to humankind’s toolbox: the diode; the transistor; the inductor; the resistor; and the capacitor. Our civilization is founded on the creative exploitation of the properties of only 11 different building blocks. The ability of living systems to transform matter and actively interact with the environment sets them apart from current systems made by man. This difference in complexity can be attributed to the fact that nature has tens of thousands of building blocks to work with instead of the 11 used by man. Presented is a new technology that transitions additive manufacturing from 3D space to a four- dimensional, functional space. Through developments in stabilizing a very large set of integral membrane proteins, the suite of tools available to engineer complex systems has been greatly expanded. A new class of printable inks is being produced that integrates peptides and functional proteins with polymer constructs enabling the incorporation of biological metabolism as an intrinsic property into materials. Presented is a new class of materials and devices that possess a functional architecture that transform energy, and collect, process and act on information in response to changes in their local environment.

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