Biomaterials / Bioengineering Research

OVERVIEW

Mission Statement: The Biomaterials/Bioengineering cluster at the School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering seeks to understand biological materials design principles in living organisms and tissues, and to design bioinspired materials that benefit society in the areas of biomedicine, technology and the environment.

Technical Focus: A wide diversity of Bio-related topics are covered by the faculty in this area, including, but not limited to, comparative biomechanics and biorobotics using insights from locomotion of living animals (Henry Astley); gecko- and spider silk-inspired adhesive materials and bird feather-inspired structural colors (Ali Dhinojwala); 3-D printed synthetic skin grafts for wound healing, drug delivery and wet adhesives (Abraham Joy, Ali Dhinojwala); antimicrobial polymers, ceramics and composites (Abraham Joy, Nita Sahai); orthopedic and dental biomaterials and bone biomineralization (Nita Sahai); nonenzymatic polymerization of biomacromolecules and their self-assembly leading to the Origins of Life (Nita Sahai); and mass spectroscopic analysis of biological and bio inspired synthetic materials (Chrys Wesdemiotis).

Why Akron: The School of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering provides one of the most highly recognized programs in polymer and other advanced materials in the world. The Biomaterials/Bioengineering cluster of faculty cover a wide range of expertise from Biomechanics to Polymer Chemistry, Polymer Physics, Biogeochemistry and Analytical Chemistry. These faculty collaborate closely on many projects, thus providing students a unique opportunity to have a 360o-degree perspective of the field.

BIOMATERIALS / BIOENGINEERING FACULTY

• Dr. Henry Astley
• Dr. Ali Dhinojwala
• Dr. Abraham Joy
• Dr. Hunter King
• Dr. Nita Sahai
• Dr. Chrys Wesdemiotis

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

Representative Publications

• Namani T., Snyder S., Eagan J., Bevilacqua P. C., Wesdemiotis W. and Sahai N. (in press) Amino acid specific montmorillonite-promoted RNA polymerization. ChemSystemsChem.
• Chen K., Ustriyana P., Moore F. and Sahai N. Biological response of and blood plasma protein adsorption on Silver-doped hydroxyapatite. ACS Biomat. Sci. Eng., 2019, 5, 561-571.
• Mankoci S., Ewing J., Dalai P., Sahai N., Barton H. A. and Joy A. Bacterial membrane selective antimicrobial peptide mimetic polyurethanes: A study of their structure-property relationships and mechanisms of action. Biomacromolec. 2019, 20, 4096-4106.
• Narayanan A., Menefee J.R., Liu Q., Dhinojwala A., Joy A. Lower critical solution temperature-driven self-coacervation of non-ionic polyester underwater adhesives. ACS Nano, 2020, 14, 8359
• Kaur S., Narayanan A., Dalvi S., Liu Q., Joy A., Dhinojwala A. Direct observation of the interplay of catechol binding and polymer hydrophobicity in a mussel-inspired elastomeric adhesive. ACS Central Science, 2018, 4, 1420
• Astley H., Rieser J., Kaba A., Paez V. M., Tomkinson I. K., Mendelson J., and Goldman D. I. Side-impact collision: Mechanics of obstacle negotiation in sidewinding snakes. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 2020, v 16, n 6.
• Astley H.C. The Biomechanics of Multi-articular Muscle–Tendon Systems in Snakes. Comp. Biol. 2020; 60(1):140–155.
• Jurestovsky D. J., Jayne B. C., and Astley H. C. Experimental modification of morphology reveals the effects of the zygosphene–zygantrum joint on the range of motion of snake vertebrae. Exp. Biol. 2020, 223:jeb216531
• Sallam S., Dolog I., Paik B. A., Jia X., Kiick K. L., Wesdemiotis C. Sequence and Conformational Analysis of Peptide–Polymer Bioconjugates by Multidimensional Mass Spectrometry. Biomacromolecules, 2018, 19, 1498-1507.
• Wilson J. A., Luong D., Kleinfehn A. P., Sallam S., Wesdemiotis C., Becker M. L. Magnesium catalyzed polymerization of end functionalized poly (propylene maleate) and poly (propylene fumarate) for 3D printing of bioactive scaffolds. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 277-284.

CONTACT US

Dr. Nita Sahai
Phone: 330-972-5795
Email: sahai@uakron.edu