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Kari's Project Page - RISE Summer 2007 |
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Intern: Kari Darling, Chemistry, Lake Superior State University
Mentor: Alex Ostrowski
Faculty Supervisor: Peter Ford
Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry |
PHOTOSENSITIZED RELEASE OF NITRIC OXIDE USING QUANTUM DOTS
Due to its vast biological importance, nitric oxide (NO) research has been of
major concern in the scientific community over the past two decades. The
physiological roles of nitric oxide are varied and include its function as a
biological signaler in vasodilatation, immune response, and its role as a
neurotransmitter. Because it is a free radical, NO treatment has applications as
a possible enhancement for radiation therapy. A major interest in this field of
NO research concerns methods of delivery to a specific tissue in a body. The
photochemical release of nitric oxide is being explored as a method to control
both location and timing of nitric oxide release. This project deals specifically
with photochemical release of NO from a dinitrito polyamine chromium complex,
and attempts to maximize its biological applications using nanoparticle
semiconductor quantum dots as antennas for the photochemical reaction. Quantum
dots are used for this photochemical enhancement due to their high absorption,
tunable optical properties, and promising potential as energy donors. While
energy transfer between quantum dots and the dinitrito polyamine chromium
complex was observed in solution, covalent coupling between complex and quantum
dots is desired for biological applications. The focus of this research was
synthesis of a dinitrito polyamine chromium complex with an added carboxylic
acid functionality, to be later coupled to a modified surface of a quantum dot.
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