BIO

My name is Michelle Rodriguez and I am a junior majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Miami, Florida. In the future I plan to pursue a master's degree in anesthesia to become an anesthesiologist assistant.

The Applications of 3D Printing Atomic Structures

Abstract

3D printing is a form of manufacturing physical objects from a three-dimensional digital model. ChimeraX is a software used to manipulate and analyze atomic structures and their molecular components. ChimeraX was used to modify 7KO4, a structure of cardiac native thin filament, and other high-resolution structures such as 8UWW (troponin), to prepare for 3D printing. Through the EMDB website, these structures were downloaded, modified, and through trial and many stl files later successfully printed. For the purpose of building a structure that can be separated and differentiated, ChimeraX will be used to color the different components of a muscle cell (actin, tropomyosin, and troponin). These components can then be magnetized with the aim of reassembly to understand how their processes work together. When 7KO4 was printed, it was used as a model to clarify findings in muscle mechanic laboratories among researchers in the Biology Department. We hope to bring awareness to the benefits of visual model usage in educational settings as well as for future research purposes through the use of 3D printing and ChimeraX. This project demonstrates the importance of a physical cellular structure that is normally understood in its photographed two-dimensional state. Outside of the educational sphere, 3D models can aid in the identification of missing components or contribute towards a higher understanding of molecular structures. These prints can be modified and added to as new research develops and ideas are discovered.

Keywords: 3D Printing, Cardiac Muscle, Actin, Troponin