Transcript BiomimeticsandGEPI-l..

What’s the relationship between these two images?
photography.qj.net
www.extra.rdg.ac.uk/eng/BIONIS/images/burr.jpg
What’s the relationship between these two images?
photography.qj.net
www.extra.rdg.ac.uk/eng/BIONIS/images/burr.jpg
Velcro and the plant burr that inspired its invention
Biomimetics - term coined by
Otto H. Schmitt in 1969 to
describe the idea of imitating
and learning from biology.
What do these have in common?
visualparadox.com
www.chrisdixonstudios.com
haymarketart.com
i153.photobucket.com/.../s232/impsire/nacre.jpg
www.shanewilson.com
Yes! You’re right.
They are elegently functional
natural materials comprised largely
of inorganic compounds that have
been developed by living systems
over 3.5 billion years of evolution.
And, their properties depend on
their molecular structure.
What can we learn from learning
about these materials?
visualparadox.com
www.chrisdixonstudios.com
haymarketart.com
i153.photobucket.com/.../s232/impsire/nacre.jpg
www.shanewilson.com
Molecular Biomimetics – imitating and
learning from our understanding of
molecular biology.
Molecular Biomimetics – imitating and
learning from our understanding of
molecular biology.
How can we build materials, like biological
systems do, at the molecular level?
Molecular Biomimetics – imitating and
learning from our understanding of
molecular biology.
How can we build materials, like biological
systems do, at the molecular level?
Self-assembly refers to a system in which
molecules organize themselves according
to their properties.
Peptides, with their specific shapes
and binding properties are ideal
tools for nanotechnology.
Peptides, with their specific shapes
and binding properties are ideal
tools for nanotechnology.
Bacteria are used as factories for
designer polypeptides by simply
giving them the recipe (gene).
“GEPI’s”
• genetically engineered polypeptides
for inorganics
• typically short (8-12 amino acids)
• have been produced to selectively
bind to gold, titanium, silica, enamel
and other inorganic materials.
“Biopanning”
• a process for selecting GEPI’s with
specific affinity for a given material.
• homework:
Compare and contrast “biopanning” with the
production of antibodies by human B-cells
that you read about in the article, “Fighting
Colds with Natural Selection.” (from Evolution:
The Triumph of an Idea, Zimmer)
So, one end of the GEPI binds to a specific
material and the other can be seen as a
LEGO block to which we can attach any
number of other molecules or materials.
Hmmm.
So, one end of the GEPI binds to a specific
material and the other can be seen as a
LEGO block to which we can attach any
number of other molecules or materials.
Hmmm.
First alone, and then with a partner,
brainstorm some potential uses of molecules
that serve as interfaces between organic
and inorganic materials.