Nanoscale study gives new insight into heat transfer in biologic...( r therapy according to Keblinski. Sci...),Health

r therapy, according to Keblinski. "Scientists are developing cancer treatments based on nanoparticles that attach to specific tissues, which are then heated to kill the cancerous cells," he says. "It is vital to understand how heat flows in these systems, because too much heat applied in the wrong spot can kill healthy cells."

Garde's and Keblinski's research also could be important to the electronics industry, because of the growing interest in nanocomposite materials for computer chips, which generate a great deal of heat. Chip designers are increasingly combining solid surfaces with softer organic materials, and understanding heat flow will be a key aspect of continuing to shrink the dimensions of chip components, the researchers say.

The findings also provide more fundamental insights that are extremely important for understanding any system with nanoscale features, which tend to have huge numbers of interfaces, according to the researchers.

Biological systems are a key example. The surfaces of proteins, DNA, and other biomolecules interact with water to form the very basis of life. In water-based solutions, proteins instinctively fold into unique three-dimensional structures, which do much of the work in the body. Misfolded proteins also are implicated in diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and the ability of proteins to function depends on how much they can vibrate in their folded state.

The next step, according to Keblinski and Garde, is to focus on studying heat transfer between proteins and water, which will give them a better understanding of how water governs protein dynamics.

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Contact: Jason Gorss
gorssj@rpi.edu
518-276-6098
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
20-Oct-2005

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