Project Description: |
A biomaterial is a natural or synthetic substance that can interact in a compatible way with living tissue and/or biological fluids. The use of synthetic materials in medicine and biology is a quickly expanding field that is making significant improvements in our lives. The advancement in biomaterials over the past 25 years has been tremendous. New materials have made a huge impact in minimizing rejection of synthetic materials such as stents and other implants from the body. Biomaterials that provide mechanical strength, promote bone growth and then decompose to leave new bone intact are being made. There has been great progress in the development of artificial skin, vessels and even organs. This project involves the covalent attachment and/or entrapment of both small organic molecules and macromolecules in sol-gel matrices on glass and then testing whether the organic additive promotes or deters cell growth. Additives that enhance cell growth will be further developed for cell culture applications while those that deter cell growth will be developed for that purpose. Students involved in this project would spend approximately 4 weeks learning the basic techniques of cell culture and the preparation of sol-gel films. Once those skills were in place the techniques would be combined to test the systems using microscopy and staining techniques to evaluate the cell growth. Students will present their research to the Department orally during the experience and at a regional undergraduate poster session and will be involved in preparing the work for publication when appropriate. |
