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.

这个授予特拉华大学的职业奖项是由材料研究部的生物材料项目资助的。通过这个项目，PI将开发出与天然细胞外基质的结构组织和多尺度响应性非常相似的生物材料，但具有受控的结构和改进的机械性能。拟议研究的主要重点将集中在：1)通过聚乙二醇与纳米粒子的共价交联设计机械响应性水凝胶，纳米粒子在其表面显示牺牲键和隐藏长度，以模拟功能蛋白质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，其中天然弹性蛋白的疏水结构域被能够弹性反冲的合成聚合物取代，而亲水性结构域将被具有潜在结构导向能力的特定肽序列取代；以及3)通过显微和宏观方法表征这些动态和模块化生物材料的力学性质。虽然智能生物材料已经被设计成对外界刺激如pH、温度、试剂、电场或磁场做出反应，但能够对人体内长期机械应力做出快速和可逆反应的合成聚合物尚未开发出来。考虑到人体内的大多数组织都会受到机械刺激，组织内的细胞具有复杂的机械结构，可以主动响应机械力，因此在本项目的聚合物基质设计中考虑这种信号形式是至关重要的。该计划旨在培养几名生物材料的研究生和本科生，并将他们与PI对机械响应生物材料的研究兴趣结合起来。开发一门新的生物医学工程研究生水平课程，向学生传授生物材料/生物医学概念，并激发他们对这些领域的兴趣，也是该项目的一部分。教育部分与拟议的研究活动紧密结合在一起，目的是激励高中生从事生物材料/生物医学事业；并为有生物材料研究实践经验的代表不足的少数族裔学生提供研究机会。拟议的研究和教育活动的跨学科性质也将使研究生掌握最新的信息、实验技能和创造性思维，这些都是不断增长的生物医学工程领域不可或缺的。最终目标是建立研究和教育计划，不仅通过产生具有前所未有的机械性能和响应性的生物材料来推动生物医学工程领域的发展，而且还将激励和教育下一代生物医学工程师和科学家。