RUI: Silica-Based Materials with Improved Biocompatibility

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This RUI award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research to San Jose State University is to develop new silica materials of high biocompatibility, as defined by low protein adsorption onto the surface and by enhanced protein structure and stability when encapsulated in the glass matrix. A key hypothesis behind this project is that biocompatible materials must have a proper balance of hydrophilic and hydrophobic surface groups and that this balance should be similar to the surface of a folded protein. Hydrophilic charged and uncharged groups, and hydrophobic functional groups will be incorporated into the silica matrix to disrupt the interfacial water layer and to examine the relationship between surface chemistry and protein structure. In working toward the specific aims, the results of this project may yield: (1) improved silica-based materials for application in the biosensor industry, (2) insights on how to reduce protein adsorption for materials used in making implants and other biomedical devices, and (3) a better understanding of protein behavior in crowded and confined environments, as relevant to the biochemistry of living cells. Undergraduate students will be trained to make organically-modified silica glasses using the sol'gel technique and to analyze the structure of encapsulated or adsorbed proteins by circular dichroism spectroscopy.Protein molecules are designed by nature to function in a highly crowded environment, yet most experiments for characterizing proteins are performed in dilute solutions. This project aims to study model proteins in a crowded and confined environment made from silica glass. More specifically, this project will modify the silica surface with various chemicals to make the environment more protein-friendly (biocompatible), as measured by changes in the protein structure upon entrapment in, or adsorption to, the modified glasses. This work will be completed by undergraduate research students, including several minority students supported by other research programs. Also, a local high school teacher will be recruited during each summer to train and work side-by-side with the students. This summer internship is envisioned as a means of re-invigorating the teacher's passion for science and, at the same time, as a means of introducing undergraduate students to a role model who has chosen an important, alternative career path. Possible scientific impacts of this project include improved silica-based materials for application in the biosensor industry, insights on how to reduce protein adsorption for materials used in making biomedical devices, and a better understanding of protein behavior in its naturally-crowded environment.