Colloidal Allostery

Abstract

Allostery is a type of adhesion process, where the substrate can be in multiple states, each with a different binding a affinity for the adsorbent. Allosteric processes are a fundamental requirement for cell life and better understanding of allostery could therefore lead to a better understanding of biology. The aim of this thesis is to provide with the first steps towards building a model for allosteric interactions on a colloidal scale. We use rigid dyed polystyrene particles binding to elastic poly(ethylene glycol)diacrylate (PEGDA) posts by depletion in- teraction. A theoretical model is developed, which can provide with insights into realizing colloidal allostery. First steps are then taken to verify this model and proposals are made to further this research.