Natural Polymers. DNA as Functional Materials. Utilization in Biomedical Field.

Biosynthetic Polymers as Functional Materials

The synthesis of functional polymers encoded with biomolecules has been an extensive area of research for decades. As such, a diverse toolbox of polymerization techniques and bioconjugation methods has been developed. The greatest impact of this work has been in biomedicine and biotechnology, where fully synthetic and naturally derived biomolecules are used cooperatively. Despite significant im...

Natural and Synthetic Biomedical Polymers

Immobilization of DNA by UV irradiation and its utilization as functional materials.

The water-insoluble DNA film was successfully prepared by UV irradiation. The DNA film was stable in water. It could effectively accumulated the DNA-binding intercalating materials, such as ethidium bromide, dibenzo-p-dioxin and benzo[a]pyrene, in their aqueous solutions. On the other hand, DNA was immobilized onto nonwoven cellulose fabrics, also by the UV irradiation. The DNA immobilized clot...

Biomedical and Clinical Importance of Mussel-Inspired Polymers and Materials

The substance secreted by mussels, also known as nature's glue, is a type of liquid protein that hardens rapidly into a solid water-resistant adhesive material. While in seawater or saline conditions, mussels can adhere to all types of surfaces, sustaining its bonds via mussel adhesive proteins (MAPs), a group of proteins containing 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) and catecholic amino acid. S...

New Functional Materials from Nanostructured Polymers

The dispersion of nanoscale particles or domains in a polymer matrix can provide nonlinear enhancement of the material properties and produce novel nanostructured materials with unique and controllable properties. Our group is currently examining systems that will provide an understanding of how manipulation and control of the structure of polymeric components can be utilized to efficiently and...