Modification and characterisation or surfaces and plasma processes for biotechnological applications

我的研究方向是生物材料的表面改性和表征，以提高其生物相容性。我的团队在使用等离子体技术开发精细调节的表面功能化或涂层方面投入了大量努力。等离子体基本上是由气体激发的物质组成的，这些物质与材料表面接触，要么改变它们的化学结构，要么用一层薄薄的聚合物质覆盖它们。我们的目标是掌握等离子体工艺(1)通过微调等离子体处理/涂层材料的表面化学，以及(2)通过限制（如果不能消除）进一步耗时的表面表征程序的需要。***我的研究计划的第一个目标将集中在介质阻挡放电（DBD）大气等离子体的特性上，即用于点亮/维持等离子体内注入的气体前驱体的放电、消耗和击穿机制的电气参数，并将这些特性与等离子体沉积涂层的化学性质联系起来。我的研究计划的第二个目标将是确定驱动干细胞粘附和分化的几何参数。事实上，一些观察倾向于证明细胞在微观尺度上组织它们周围的环境。例如，先前的研究表明，细胞在微米尺度上重组了纤维连接蛋白原纤维。这些观察结果导致了对表面细胞信号的微观结构和对单个细胞分化能力的命运的影响的几个基本研究。***最近，我的实验室已经证明了在材料表面联合微图纹细胞粘附和细胞增殖信号的作用，以改善细胞-物质相互作用。我们的目标是扩展间充质干细胞的知识，以确定是否有可能通过在材料表面适当组织细胞信号分子来控制细胞粘附和分化的命运。在这种情况下，我们的策略将涉及根据不同的几何分布来模拟细胞外基质组织的细胞信号肽的图案。这项研究很可能通过对驱动细胞分化过程的几何线索的更深入的了解，为活组织的生产提供独特的重要知识。* * * * *

My research program focuses on the surface modification and characterization of biomaterials to improve their biocompatibility. My group deploys significant efforts to develop finely tuned surface functionalizations or coatings using plasma-based technologies. Plasmas are basically made of gaseous excited species which are put in contact with the surface of materials to either modify their chemical structure or cover them with a thin layer of polymerized matter. Our goal will be to master plasma processes (1) by fine tuning the surface chemistry of plasma-treated/coated materials, and (2) by limiting if not eliminating the need for further time-consuming surface characterization procedures.***The first objective of my research program will center on the characteristics of dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) atmospheric plasmas, namely the electrical parameters used to light up/sustain the discharge, consumption, and breakdown mechanisms of the gaseous precursor injected within the plasma, and to correlate these characteristics with the chemistry of the plasma-deposited coating.***The second objective of my research program will be to identify geometrical parameters that drive stem cell adhesion and differentiation. Indeed, several observations tend to demonstrate that cells organize their surroundings at the micro scale. For instance, previous studies demonstrated that cells reorganized fibronectin fibrils at the micrometer scale. These observations led to several fundamental investigations on the micro structuration of cell signals on surfaces and the effect on the fate of a single cell in terms of it capacity to differentiate.***More recently, my laboratory has evidenced the effect of jointly micropatterning cell adhesion and cell proliferation signals on the surface of materials to improve cell-material interactions. The goal is to extend this knowledge on mesenchymal stem cells to ascertain whether it is possible to control cell fate in terms of adhesion and differentiation through an appropriate organization of cell signalling molecules on the surface of materials. In this context, our strategy will involve patterning cell signalling peptides according to different geometrical distributions to mimick extracellular matrix organization. This research is likely to generate knowledge of singular importance for the production of living tissues through a greater understanding of the geometrical cues that drive the cell differentiation process.*** **