Reference number : GC-2017-Q3-00381, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : De Haan, Hendrick (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Collaborative Research and Development Grants - Project, program name french : Subventions de recherche et développement coopérative - projet, program purpose english : There is a dramatically increasing world demand for green, sustainable biomaterials to enhance the_x000D_
performance of functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products._x000D_
PhytoSpherix(TM) is one such material, an all-natural, high-tech additive which can add value to many_x000D_
products in each of these markets. PhytoSpherix is comprised of nanoparticles made from joining many_x000D_
glucose (sugar) molecules together in a branching fashion. They are essentially tiny balls of starch that serve as_x000D_
a form of energy storage in plants. They are thus not only biodegradable but biocompatible - they are ingested_x000D_
when one eats sweet corn! PhystoSpherix particles have many useful properties such as the ability to absorb_x000D_
and retain a great deal of water and to modify the viscosity of a liquid when used as an additive. However, as_x000D_
they are very small and soft, it is difficult to resolve the structural details of the nanoparticles experimentally. In_x000D_
this grant we will use computer simulations to grow, simulate, and characterize the particle structure. Although_x000D_
the particles are small (on the order of 50 nm), they are still comprised of many atoms making detailed_x000D_
simulations very difficult. We will thus employ coarse-grained approaches at two different levels to model the_x000D_
nanoparticles: a very coarse-grained approach in which each glucose molecule is modeled as one bead and an_x000D_
atomistic-based coarse-grained approach that retains some of the chemical features of glucose. In addition to_x000D_
characterizing the structure, we will also use modeling at both levels to explore the dynamics of small_x000D_
molecules within the particles. Combining results across these different levels will give both fundamental_x000D_
insight into the nature of carbohydrate-bases dendritic materials which will be of great value in the fields of_x000D_
polymer science and bio-nanomaterials. This work is performed in collaboration with Mirexus Biotechnologies_x000D_
and the knowledge that is generated will provide essential information for the development of new applications_x000D_
of PhytoSpherix particles such as drug and supplement delivery. This will fuel the growth of Mirexus as a_x000D_
Canadian research intensive company that hires highly qualified scientific and engineering personnel., program purpose french : There is a dramatically increasing world demand for green, sustainable biomaterials to enhance the_x000D_
performance of functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products._x000D_
PhytoSpherix(TM) is one such material, an all-natural, high-tech additive which can add value to many_x000D_
products in each of these markets. PhytoSpherix is comprised of nanoparticles made from joining many_x000D_
glucose (sugar) molecules together in a branching fashion. They are essentially tiny balls of starch that serve as_x000D_
a form of energy storage in plants. They are thus not only biodegradable but biocompatible - they are ingested_x000D_
when one eats sweet corn! PhystoSpherix particles have many useful properties such as the ability to absorb_x000D_
and retain a great deal of water and to modify the viscosity of a liquid when used as an additive. However, as_x000D_
they are very small and soft, it is difficult to resolve the structural details of the nanoparticles experimentally. In_x000D_
this grant we will use computer simulations to grow, simulate, and characterize the particle structure. Although_x000D_
the particles are small (on the order of 50 nm), they are still comprised of many atoms making detailed_x000D_
simulations very difficult. We will thus employ coarse-grained approaches at two different levels to model the_x000D_
nanoparticles: a very coarse-grained approach in which each glucose molecule is modeled as one bead and an_x000D_
atomistic-based coarse-grained approach that retains some of the chemical features of glucose. In addition to_x000D_
characterizing the structure, we will also use modeling at both levels to explore the dynamics of small_x000D_
molecules within the particles. Combining results across these different levels will give both fundamental_x000D_
insight into the nature of carbohydrate-bases dendritic materials which will be of great value in the fields of_x000D_
polymer science and bio-nanomaterials. This work is performed in collaboration with Mirexus Biotechnologies_x000D_
and the knowledge that is generated will provide essential information for the development of new applications_x000D_
of PhytoSpherix particles such as drug and supplement delivery. This will fuel the growth of Mirexus as a_x000D_
Canadian research intensive company that hires highly qualified scientific and engineering personnel., agreement title english : Resolving the structure of dendritic carbohydrate-based nanoparticles, agreement title french : Resolving the structure of dendritic carbohydrate-based nanoparticles, agreement number : CRDPJ, agreement value : 100000.0, agreement start date : 2017-12-13, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2019-2020)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2019-2020)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada