Development of polymer biomaterials that respond to stimuli

随着加拿大人口老龄化，对有效提供治疗、再生组织和取代衰竭器官功能的医疗设备的需求非常迫切。为了成功实施聚合物生物材料装置以满足这些需求，聚合物的设计应使其能够随着时间的推移而随着时间的推移而改变(优化)，或适应其生物环境的变化。例如，旨在以可能随时间改变的速度输送药物的聚合物设备可以为个人提供优化的治疗。这项拟议的研究将开发能够对光做出反应的新聚合物，因为它是一种非侵入性的外部刺激，以及由于蛋白质随疾病波动而结合或被触发改变的新材料。 我的实验室的首要主题是设计与周围环境(物理或生物)相互作用的创新材料，使医学、工程和环境应用方面的新技术能够发展，造福社会。这项拟议工作的长期目标是创造随着时间的推移随着物理刺激或生物触发而变化的新的功能化聚合物，作为新的受控药物输送材料和表面修饰技术。 在目标1中，我的实验室将通过用随光变化的大分子修饰聚合物来开发光响应性材料。最敏感的材料将被开发为可控释放骨架，释放速率可能会随着时间的推移而随着光线的增加或降低。原位凝胶的聚合物将被开发为药物和细胞输送载体。这些新聚合物将造福于加拿大的伤口护理和眼科行业。 在目标2中，我的实验室将通过使用与特定蛋白质结合的适体修饰聚合物来开发生物触发材料。这些新型生物材料将通过特定蛋白质原位凝胶或根据特定蛋白质传递药物。例如，特定蛋白质将开启从基质中传递药物的功能，以便在需要时提供药物，例如当肿瘤中存在血管内皮生长因子时。此外，聚合物表面将使用适体修饰以形成蛋白质的微图案。这是一种新的表面修饰方法，将使细胞-细胞和细胞-蛋白质相互作用的研究成为可能，或者开发可能在植入前与蛋白质(来自血清)结合的现成设备涂层。 根据这项研究计划，将通过培养生物材料开发、聚合物化学、细胞培养、统计建模和其他技术方面的技能来培训高素质人员(HQP)。专业技能发展将是一个重点，通过会议演讲、研讨会和网络，以确保HQP在学术或工业领域的成功。

With the aging population in Canada, there is a critical need for medical devices that effectively deliver therapeutics, regenerate tissue, and replace the function of failing organs. For the successful implementation of polymer biomaterial devices to meet these needs, polymers should be designed so they can be changed (optimized) over time by external stimuli or adapt to changes in their biological environment. For example, polymer devices designed to deliver drugs at rates that may be changed over time could provide optimized treatments to individuals. The proposed research will develop new polymers that can change in response to light because it is a non-invasive external stimulus, and new materials that bind or are triggered to change in response to proteins because proteins fluctuate with diseases. The overarching theme of my lab is the design of innovative materials that interact with their surrounding environment (physical or biological) to enable the development of new technologies in medicine, engineering, and environmental applications, to benefit society. The long term goal of the proposed work is to create new functionalized polymers that change over time in response to physical stimuli or biological triggers as new controlled drug delivery materials and surface modification techniques. In Objective 1, my lab will develop photoresponsive materials by modifying polymers with macromolecules that change in response to light. The most sensitive materials will be developed as controlled release matrices with release rates that may be increased or decreased over time with light.  Polymers that gel in situ will be developed as drug and cell delivery vehicles.  These new polymers will benefit wound care and ophthalmology industries in Canada.  In Objective 2, my lab will develop biologically-triggered materials by modifying polymers with aptamers that bind to specific proteins.  These novel biomaterials will gel in situ by specific proteins or deliver drugs in response to specific proteins.  For example, specific proteins will turn on drug delivery from matrices so that drugs are delivered when required, such as when VEGF is present in tumours.  In addition, polymer surfaces will be modified with aptamers to develop micropatterns of proteins. This is a new approach to surface modification that will enable research on cell-cell and cell-protein interactions or develop off-the-shelf device coatings that may be bound with proteins (from serum) prior to implantation. Highly qualified personnel (HQP) will be trained under this research program by developing skills in biomaterial development, polymer chemistry, cell culture, statistical modelling, and other techniques. Professional skills development will be a focus, through conference presentations, workshops, and networking, to ensure the success of HQP in academic or industrial fields.