RECRUIT · Receptor Recruitment as an Organizational Principle for Self-Assembling Matter

Receptor recruitment occurs in biology as a response to binding, for example, by virus particles to a cell membrane. The interactions that underlie the binding process are typically multivalent in nature, in other words, multiple interactions of the same motif occur simultaneously to provide a collective, cooperative effect. This project aims to employ recruitment as a design criterium for self-assembling building blocks into well-defined architectures. Intrinsically weak and dynamic interactions are essential in achieving self-assembly and recruitment. Exquisite control over stoichiometry and structure of the assemblies is achieved by harnessing ground-breaking developments in the understanding of these multivalent interactions. Follow-up fixation processes will be developed to transfer the molecular organization onto stable building blocks and materials. Functional, e.g., fluorescent, groups will be implemented into the systems to provide insight into recruitment and self-assembly processes. These breakthrough insights will be used tackle challenges with the identification, sensing and isolation of biological particles. High-throughput methods will provide technology to screen multiple virus–glycan combinations with the aim of providing ‘fingerprints’ of viruses based on their binding behaviour. Platforms with nanoscale dimensions and molecular functionalities will be prepared, which will be used for single-particle sensing and particle isolation of, for example, virus particles and extracellular vesicles. As such, this proposal takes inspiration from nature, by borrowing recruitment as a concept to build self-assembled materials, and to contribute to a better understanding of living systems using new detection and isolation tools, with application prospects for biomedical platforms and smart materials.