Amplification of biomolecular interactions using liquid crystals and nanostructured surfaces

It has long been known that the orientations assumed by liquid crystals near surfaces are often controlled by a precarious and complex balance of long-ranged (e.g., electrostatic or elastic) and short-ranged (e.g., chemically-specific) interactions. These interactions are defined by the structure of surfaces over a wide range of length scales (0.1-1000 nm). Our research exploits the sensitivity of liquid crystals to the nanometer-scale structure of surfaces to amplify molecular and biomolecular interactions into optical signals. The author describes the use of liquid crystals and nanostructured surfaces to selectively amplify recognition events between proteins and their receptors into optical signals. Recent work aimed at the development of principles suitable for profiling of regulatory signaling proteins are also discussed.