Bio Nano Consulting
(BNC), the specialist bio-nanotechnology product development consultancy,
is delighted to announce that one of their key collaborators has been specifically
recognised for her scientific contributions to the field of nanomechanics. The
Institute of Physics (IOP) awarded Dr. Rachel McKendry the prestigious Paterson
medal and prize in recognition of her international contributions, and in particular
for her work developing label-free nanomechanical cantilever sensors.
Dr. McKendry’s work with cantilevers has significantly aided the understanding
of the origins of surface stress at biomolecular interfaces. The cantilever
system works by detecting interactions between ligands attached to one side
of the cantilever and receptor molecules via changes in surface stress which
cause the cantilever to bend. Being 500 µm long, 100 µm wide and
only 900 nm thick, the cantilever has remarkable sensitivity, which enables
it to detect very tiny changes in forces at the surface of the cantilever. Dr.
McKendry’s expertise in this field has enabled BNC to the commercially
develop drug-screening technologies to speed up the discovery of new antibiotics.
The Paterson award is given for distinguished research in applied physics and
is generally awarded to physicists in the early part of their careers as a mark
of recognition. Dr. McKendry commented, “This area of research quantitatively
measures molecular recognition forces which are fundamental to virtually every
process in the living cell. To have had my contribution to this recognised is
a great honour. I am thrilled to have received this award.”
Posted November 23rd, 2009
