University of New Hampshire
McNair Scholar, 2024
Major: Chemistry
Mentor: Dr. Brittany White-Mathieu
Research Title: Probing the Death of a Cell
Abstract:
A biosensor is a molecule that undergoes chemical modification in the presence of an analyte present in the same environment as the sensor. These analytes of interest include peroxides, molecules that can produce a radical oxygen moiety which has the capacity to cause substantial damage to the cells within our bodies - degrading membrane function and leading to innumerable physiological complications; neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and physical degenerative diseases such as cancer. Scientists may use these sensors to tell if the reactive species is within the cellular environment. With recent advances in biologically compatible chemistry, the sensors can be anchored to specific points within a phospholipid membrane to monitor distinct cellular environments, be it within the cytoplasm or an organelle. The biosensor may then be excited and observed using fluorescent microscopy to get a full scope of the membrane's structure and function. The gap within the literature at the present time is the method by which fluorescent biosensors are most effectively introduced into the cellular environment. This project aims to evaluate the attachment of a biosensor, sensitive to the presence of hydrogen peroxide, to a phospholipid followed by introduction of the entire complex, sensor and phospholipid, into a cell or organelle membrane. Setting this fundamental precedent will determine future directions for biosensor integration into cellular environments, which may lead the technique out of the petri dish and into a living organism, thus allowing for medical professionals to gauge the status of compromised cells before they become diseased and cancerous, and will allow scientists to tailor their own biosensor regimen to examine various biological pathways.
