Rapid nanofabrication of combinatorial bio-molecular arrays for mesenchymal stem cell development

The research proposed by Pavlo involves using beam pen lithography (BPL), a technique invented and developed in the Mirkin group, to synthesize nanoscale features of biomolecules at high-throughput and high resolution. Previous work has shown that BPL can be used to direct photochemistry on surfaces to create DNA and glycan arrays. Using this approach, the Mirkin group is interested in developing new methods for synthesizing high-density oligonucleotide arrays and exploring new chemistries to control reactions on surfaces. We have identified that his proposed studies on further advancing the capabilities of BPL will enable the Mirkin group to ultimately answer fundamental questions on the progression of diseases, drug efficacy, and intracellular signaling and differentiation. For these reasons, Pavlo’s expertise in scanning probe techniques makes him uniquely position to work on this novel nanolithography platform and combine surface photochemistry with high-throughput production of biomolecule arrays. The research proposed by Pavlo is highly creative, original and an excellent fit with the existing work in the Mirkin group, and the completion of it will have a lasting impact on several fields and future applications involving nanocale arrays of bioactive molecules.