CHE 598 Seminar: Benefits and Challenges of Charge Balance at Polyampholyte Interfaces

About the event

SPEAKER: Dr. Matthew Bernards, Associate Professor, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Idaho

BIOGRAPHY:

Matthew Bernards is a Professor of Chemical & Biological Engineering at the University of Idaho, where he has been a faculty member since 2016. Since August 2019, he has also served as the Director of the NASA Idaho Space Grant Consortium and Idaho NASA EPSCoR programs. Bernards received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Washington in 2008.  Prior to joining the University of Idaho, he served as an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Missouri, where he also held appointments in Bioengineering and the Nuclear Engineering Program.  The Bernards research group is focused on multiple aspects of materials science and engineering. These interests include both experimental and computations investigations into the interactions that occur between biological entities and material interfaces and using this knowledge to design biomaterials that facilitate healing at the molecular level.

ABSTRACT:

The fields of biomaterials, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine have the potential to impact millions of lives. Success in these fields is dependent upon molecular level control of the interplay between cells, materials, and proteins, both from the laboratory setting and upon implantation. This talk will focus on our recent work to develop polyampholyte polymers as a novel biomaterial platform. Polyampholyte polymers are composed of mixtures of positively and negatively charged monomer subunits. We have demonstrated that these polymers have nonfouling, or protein resistant properties when their monomer composition is controlled as a 1:1 ratio at the molecular level in both polymer brush and hydrogel investigations. Furthermore, these polymer      systems have a unique advantage over other nonfouling functional groups. It is possible to control additional material properties beyond nonfouling through monomer selection criteria. This includes controlling the mechanical properties, as well as adding in functionality through protein conjugation. Recent work demonstrating these capabilities will be presented and applications for these polyampholyte systems in biomaterials, space, and blood contacting devices will be proposed.