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Integrated Technologies for Polymeric Biomaterials

Contents

• Contact Information
• Grant Number
• Research Emphasis
• Current Research
• Resource Capabilities
• References

Contact Information

New Jersey Center for Biomaterials
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
145 Bevier Road
Piscataway, NJ 08854
www.njbiomaterials.org

Principal Investigator/Contact
Joachim Kohn, Ph.D.
Phone: 732-445-0488
Fax: 732-445-5006
Joachim@rutchem.rutgers.edu

Contact
Melissa Aranzamendez
Phone: 732-445-0488
Fax: 732-445-5006
aranzame@rutchem.rutgers.edu

Grant Number

Grant No. EB001046 

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Research Emphasis

The Resource "Integrated Technologies for Polymeric Biomaterials" (RESBIO) works to develop integrated tools and technologies that advance the discovery of polymeric biomaterials for regenerative medicine, the delivery of biological agents, and the next generation of medical implants. To achieve its mission, RESBIO's research is focused on the development of combinatorial and computational approaches to biomaterials design and optimization. Within this framework, RESBIO employs and uses:

• Advanced multi-photon confocal laser microscopy to explore, understand, and control the response of cells in contact with artificial surfaces
• Electron microscopy techniques to study the effect of  nano-scale surface morphological features on cell behavior

RESBIO research emphasizes the integration of a strong synthetic effort to create new biomaterial candidates with the development of rapid screening techniques for key material and biological properties relevant to the performance of a biomaterial in a given medical application. 

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Current Research

RESBIO is establishing a parallel synthesis facility that will be able to synthesize combinatorial libraries of biomaterials automatically. To evaluate and characterize large libraries of potential biomaterial candidates, RESBIO follows two approaches. First, RESBIO develops rapid screening assays for biological properties such as protein adsorption and cell growth to facilitate the identification of quantitative structure-performance relationship (QSPR) models and to collect comprehensive data sets for the computational modeling of biomaterial properties. Second, RESBIO conducts detailed and fundamental studies relating to nano-scale polymer structure and cell behavior. For example, polymer structure is being explored by advanced transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques to visualize water transport in degradable polymers and to document the formation of structured domains in copolymers and polymer blends. Multiphoton confocal microscopy studies are generating datasets on scaffold architectures and algorithms for microstructural characterization of porous polymeric scaffolds. Complementary studies aim to develop new methods and approaches for the in-situ profiling of cell motility and gene expression of cells growing within a porous, polymeric scaffold.

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Resource Capabilities

Parallel Polymer Synthesis and Rapid Screening Facility (Under Construction)

• Robotic equipment for the automated synthesis of biomaterial libraries

Microscopy

• Leica TCS SP2 MP—A multiphoton laser scanning microscope used for imaging at higher penetration depth, permitting live cell imaging, and minimal out-of-focus bleaching
• Digital Instruments Bioscope Atomic Force Microscope

Electron Optics

• LEO 982 Digital Field Emission SEM
• Philips CM20 FEG TEM/STEM
• Philips CM30 Super Twin TEM

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References

1. Smith JR, Seyda A, Weber N, Knight D, Abramson S, Kohn J. Integration of combinatorial synthesis, rapid screening, and computational modeling in biomaterials development. Macromol. Rapid Commun. 2004;25:127-140.
2. Weber N, Bolikal D, Bourke SL, Kohn J. Small changes in the polymer structure influence the adsorption behavior of fibrinogen on polymer surfaces: validation of a new rapid screening technique. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 2004;68(A):496-503.
3. Krsko P, Sukhishvili S, Mansfield M, Clancy R, Libera M. Electron-beam surface-patterned poly(ethylene glycol) microhydrogels. Langmuir 2003;19:5618-5625.
4. Sharma RI, Kohn J, Moghe PV. Poly(ethylene glycol) enhances cell motility on protein based poly(ethylene glycol)-polycarbonate substrates: a mechanism for cell-guided ligand remodeling. J. Biomed. Mater. Res. 2004;69A:114-123.
5. Kohn J. New approaches to biomaterials design. Nature Materials 2004;3:745-747.