Development of polymer biomaterials that respond to stimuli

随着加拿大人口的老龄化，迫切需要能够有效地提供治疗、再生组织和替代衰竭器官功能的医疗设备。为了成功实现满足这些需求的聚合物生物材料装置，聚合物应该被设计成可以随着时间的推移被外部刺激改变（优化）或适应其生物环境的变化。例如，设计用于以可能随时间改变的速率输送药物的聚合物装置可以为个人提供优化的治疗。拟议中的研究将开发新的聚合物，这种聚合物可以对光做出反应，因为它是一种非侵入性的外部刺激，以及结合或触发对蛋白质做出反应的新材料，因为蛋白质会随着疾病而波动。****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，以促进医学、工程和环境应用领域新技术的发展，造福社会。这项工作的长期目标是创造新的功能化聚合物，这些聚合物随着时间的推移而变化，以响应物理刺激或生物触发，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大分子修饰聚合物来开发光响应材料，这些大分子对光的响应会发生变化。最敏感的材料将被开发为可控释放基质，其释放速率可能随着时间的推移而增加或减少。原位凝胶聚合物将被开发成药物和细胞递送载体。这些新的聚合物将有利于伤口护理和眼科行业在加拿大。****在目标2中，我的实验室将通过修饰与特定蛋白质结合的适体的聚合物来开发生物触发材料。这些新型生物材料将被特定蛋白质原位凝胶化，或根据特定蛋白质递送药物。例如，特定的蛋白质会开启基质的药物输送，以便在需要的时候输送药物，比如当肿瘤中存在VEGF时。此外，聚合物表面将被适体修饰以形成蛋白质的微模式。这是一种表面修饰的新方法，将使研究细胞-细胞和细胞-蛋白质相互作用或开发可在植入前与蛋白质（来自血清）结合的现成设备涂层成为可能。****高素质人才（HQP）将在该研究项目下接受培训，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。专业技能的发展将是一个重点，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.  **