Molecular Design of Self-Assembling Biomimetic Polymers

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

This award to University of California Irvine by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research is to create artificial collagens that can specify and enhance cellular activity, a critical component of furthering applications such as tissue regeneration and drug delivery. Collagen is a naturally-occurring material which can impart specific biochemical and mechanical signals. While these features suggest that this biopolymer is a choice material for use in drug delivery and regenerative medicine, properties related to tensile strength and nanoscale structure can limit applicability. Furthermore, the synthetic design and production of collagen-based biopolymers has exhibited challenges not associated with other protein-based polymers, primarily because of the stringent need to correctly post-translationally modify the backbone for correct assembly, structure, and function. To address these limitations, this award will use a yeast expression system to create recombinant collagen-like biopolymers. Mechanical strength and structural properties will be modulated by incorporating natural cross-linkers of varying architectures. The proposed functional modifications upon this scaffold will expand the scope of material properties to include mechanical and structural ranges that are not naturally available. The capability to create and investigate the fundamental properties of bioresponsive materials is critical for advancing areas such as regenerative medicine, therapies for disease, and biosensors. By creating novel collagen-like polymers of precise architectures using a yeast expression system, this award is planning to obtain mechanical and structural properties not naturally observed while simultaneously preserving collagen's natural ability to elicit biological responses. The project will involve both undergraduate and graduate students in the research. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of this collaboration, students participating in this research will gain an integrated perspective of the important interfaces and synergies between diverse fields. Results from this proposed work will also be incorporated into two graduate courses.