BIOMATERIALS

A central limitation in the performance of traditional materials used in the medical device, biotechnological, and pharmaceutical industries is the lack of the ability to integrate with biological systems through a molecular or cellular pathway, which can lead to unfavorable outcomes and device failure. The design and synthesis of materials that circumvent their passive behavior in complex mammalian cells is the focus of the work conducted within the MSE Department at Berkeley.

Specific examples include the design and synthesis of biomimetic materials that actively direct the behavior of mammalian cells to facilitate the regeneration of tissues and organs. Major discoveries from this laboratory have centered on the control of cell behavior and tissue formation in contact with surfaces either modified with peptides or spatially distributed chemistry to induce cell differentiation. An additional theme in the laboratory is the synthesis of biomimetic hydrogel analogs of the extracellular matrix.