Click and Release Separations

With support from the Chemical Measurement and Imaging (CMI) Program in the Division of Chemistry, Professors Lisa Holland and Hacer Karatas Bristow of West Virginia University are working to improve our ability to perform chemical analyses important for health studies, monitoring industrial processes, and many other elements of research and discovery. Specifically, a new separation strategy is being developed to resolve heterogeneous protein samples that are glycosylated. The technique will adapt to each protein sample to be separated, making it widely applicable to limited amounts of complex biomolecules. To meet this challenge, a small library of ligands will be developed. In solution, these special molecules will form a unique template of the protein samples being analyzed. In contrast to liquid chromatography, the approach enables researchers to create phases on-demand and significantly reduces solvent consumption. Students engaged in these novel studies gain key interdisciplinary research skills. Dr. Holland is devising innovative ways to integrate concepts relevant to this research into undergraduate courses, greatly enhancing student career preparation. A low-cost handheld instrument and accompanying curricular materials are being developed for use in the teaching laboratory to enhance the workforce development and training of scientists within and beyond the field of separations. The template driven separation method being developed through the collaboration with the Holland and Karatas Bristow labs focuses on self-assembly of ligands and glycosylated proteins. By combining bio-inspired self-assembly and click chemistry, each separation develops unique three-dimensional porous networks. The adaptive phases create ligand interactions tailored specifically for the protein sample to be resolved. The customized capillary separations can be used with limited amounts of protein sample. Moreover, because the approach is based on templating and self-assembly, each separation is unique based on the combination of a small ligand set developed through this project. A rapid, selective and efficient modality for glycoprotein separations will be demonstrated. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.