Biomaterials

Bio-nanotechnology

Our research efforts in bionanotechnology focus on the development of materials for range of biological applications, such as wound healing, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Projects include designer collagen peptides that self assemble into well-ordered nano and microscale structures. Strategically placed signals within the collagen peptides drive the assembly, producing unique and highly reproducible assemblies - including micron-sized spheres, fibers, meshes and disks - with no additional manipulation of the material. Additional binding sites within and on the surface of the collagen materials are harnessed for inclusion of bioactive molecules, including growth factors and cell adhesion agents, and these materials display excellent cell binding and encapsulation, demonstrating the greatly enhanced biological roles of this synthetic collagen.