CAREER: Mechano-Responsive Biomaterials with Controlled Architectures and Improved Mechanical Properties via Biomimetic Strategies

职业：通过仿生策略具有受控架构和改进机械性能的机械响应生物材料

• 批准号: 0643226
• 负责人: Xinqiao Jia
• 金额: $ 50万
• 依托单位: University of Delaware
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-07-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0643226&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Mechano; Responsive; Biomaterials; Controlled

This Career award to University of Delaware is funded by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research. With this project, the PI will develop biomaterials that closely resemble the structural organizations and multi-scale responsiveness of the natural extracellular matrices, but with controlled architectures and improved mechanical properties. Main focus of the proposed study will be: 1) design of mechano-responsive hydrogels by covalent cross-linking of polyethylene glycol with nanoparticles exhibiting sacrificial bonds and hidden length on their surfaces to mimic the modular domain structures present in functional proteins; 2) synthesis of mechano-responsive elastomers by recapitulating the molecular architecture of natural elastin whereby the hydrophobic domain of the native elastin is replaced with a synthetic polymer that is capable of elastic recoil, while the hydrophilic domain will be replaced with specific peptide sequences with potential structural directing capability; and 3) characterization of mechanical properties of these dynamic and modular biomaterials by microscopic and macroscopic methods. Although smart biomaterials have been designed to respond to external stimuli such as pH, temperature, reagents, electrical or magnetic fields, synthetic polymers with the ability to respond rapidly and reversibly to mechanical stresses over prolonged periods of time in the human body have yet to be developed. Given the fact that most tissues in the body are subjected to mechanical stimuli, and cells within the tissues have sophisticated machinery that actively responds to the mechanical force, it is critical that this form of signaling will be considered in the design of polymeric matrices in this project.The proposal aims to educate several graduate and undergraduate students in biomaterials and integrates them with PI's research interest in mechano-responsive biomaterials. Developing a new graduate level course in biomedical engineering to teach biomaterials/biomedical concepts to students and stimulate their interest in these areas is also part of this project. The educational component is closely integrated with the proposed research activities with the goals of inspiring high school students to pursue biomaterials/biomedical careers; and providing research opportunities for under-represented minority students with hands-on experiences in biomaterials research. The interdisciplinary nature of the proposed research and education activities will also equip graduate students with up-to-date information, experimental skills, and creative thinking that are all indispensable in the growing field of biomedical engineering. The ultimate goal is to establish research and education programs that will not only advance the field of biomedical engineering by generating biomaterials with unprecedented mechanical properties and responsiveness but also to inspire and educate the next generation of biomedical engineers and scientists.

特拉华大学的职业奖由材料研究部的生物材料计划资助。 通过该项目，PI将开发与自然细胞外矩阵的结构组织和多尺度响应性相似的生物材料，但具有控制的结构和改进的机械性能。拟议的研究的主要重点是：1）通过与纳米颗粒的共价交联，通过与纳米颗粒的共价交联，在其表面上表现出牺牲键，并模仿功能蛋白中存在的模块化结构域结构； 2）通过概括天然弹性蛋白的分子结构来合成机械响应性弹性体，从而将天然弹性蛋白的疏水结构域替换为能够具有弹性后静力的合成聚合物，而疏水域则将用具有特定肽序列的特定肽序列替代具有潜在的结构直接能力的特定肽序列； 3）通过微观和宏观方法来表征这些动态和模块化生物材料的机械性能。 尽管已经设计出智能生物材料来响应外部刺激，例如pH，温度，试剂，电场或磁场，合成聚合物在人体长时间内尚未开发具有迅速和可逆性应对机械应力的合成聚合物。鉴于人体中的大多数组织都受到机械刺激的约束，并且组织内的细胞具有复杂的机制，可以积极响应机械力，因此在该项目的聚合矩阵设计中必须考虑这种信号形式。该建议的旨在将几个研究生的研究生与生物生物生物培训对PIE进行教育，并将其整合到PIO上。开发新的生物医学工程研究生课程，以向学生讲授生物材料/生物医学概念并激发他们对这些领域的兴趣。 教育组成部分与拟议的研究活动紧密融合，其目标是激发高中生从事生物材料/生物医学职业；并为代表性不足的少数族裔学生提供研究机会，并在生物材料研究方面具有动手经验。 拟议的研究和教育活动的跨学科性质还将为研究生提供最新的信息，实验技能和创造性思维，这在生物医学工程的不断增长领域都是必不可少的。最终的目标是建立研究和教育计划，不仅将通过具有前所未有的机械性能和响应能力的生物材料来推动生物医学工程领域，而且还激发了下一代生物医学工程师和科学家。