Biomineralization is the ability of living organisms to precipitate a mineral phase within so-called mineralized tissues such as bone, teeth, shells or shells. In these tissues, biominerals (e.g. calcium phosphates or carbonate) are intimately associated with an extracellular organic matrix. It was recentlu shown that their precipitation occurs through a non-classical nucleation mechanism under biological control which allows organisms the control of the size, morphology, surface composition and three-dimensional distribution of biominerals. Despite their tremendous significance, the ultrastructure and formation mechanism of these biogenic ionic solids are far from being understood.
In this talk, I will show how solid-state NMR can be a tool of choice for analyzing biominerals and describing at the atomic scale their structure, surface and organo-mineral interface responsible for their stability and properties. I will also show that new hyperpolarization techniques (D-DNP and DNP MAS) allow a deeper understanding into their formation mechanisms both in vitro and in vivo.
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Assistant Professor Thierry Azaïs is affiliated with the Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Collège de France, Laboratoire de Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (LCMCP), 4, place Jussieu, F-75005, Paris, France.