Modification and characterisation or surfaces and plasma processes for biotechnological applications

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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.