Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Division of Physics awarded $570,000 to the Regents of the University of California, Berkeley under the Mathematical and Physical Sciences (CFDA 47.049) program for the project "From Flu to Flubots: Mechanisms of Environment-Driven Active Matter." The award period runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2029. This research initiative delivers fundamental scientific knowledge and experimental frameworks investigating how nanoscale particles—inspired by influenza A virus mechanisms—can achieve directed transport through complex environments by extracting free energy without internal molecular motors. The project produces both theoretical contributions and practical innovations, including characterization of attenuated natural virus strains, development of non-infectious engineered synthetic particle mimics, and artificial intelligence models trained to identify viral strains based on motion patterns.

The research deliverables advance non-equilibrium statistical mechanics and information theory by mapping the relationship between molecular parameters and locomotion efficiency, establishing how spatial protein organization and rotation-translation coupling enable sustained directed trajectories, and demonstrating how multivalent interactions enable gradient sensing without internal signaling. Through systematic investigation of two and three-dimensional transport mechanisms, the project will establish design principles applicable to synthetic particles capable of navigating biological barriers, with potential applications in targeted drug delivery and bio-engineering. The work contributes to NSF's mission of promoting mathematical and physical sciences research while strengthening the Nation's scientific enterprise.