The Biological and Biomedical Materials Thrust will comprise four areas:

• Enhancing the Biocompatibility of Materials
  The body's response to artificial materials is usually quite severe. Blood clotting and immune responses occur at the surfaces of most materials. Altering the surface properties of the materials is not sufficient to prevent the activation of these cascades. Rather, the materials must interact with the biological systems in order to decrease the response. Although many research programs in this area focus on materials for medical devices, similar principles hold true in the design of materials that interact with other biological systems (e.g. microfluidic devices for the analysis of biological molecules; non-fouling coatings for ships). Research at Washington University in this area is focused on the design of materials that:
  • Do not activate the cascades that lead to the recognition of the material by the host.
  • Alter the biochemical reactions that occur on the surface of biomaterials.
  • Promote the attachment and growth of cells in contact with materials.
  • Release drugs with predictable kinetics.
  • Minimize the generation of wear particles in replacement joints.
• Understanding the properties of biological materials
  Tissues are complex materials, but principles and techniques from materials science can help us to understand the properties of healthy, diseased or injured tissues. Additionally, enhancing our understanding of the nanoscale properties of biological molecules gives us insight into the inner workings of biological systems. The benefits of these approaches are numerous: Understanding structure-function relationships in biological tissues will allow us to predict the progression of several genetic diseases.
  • Understanding the mechanical properties of tissues at a microscopic level is crucial in the development of methods to promote the growth of functional tissues and to improve the design of medical devices.
  • Measurement of mechanical properties in vivo using MR and PET imaging will improve understanding of injury and aid in the design of bioengineered devices.
  • Relationships between material deformation and physiological response are needed to develop injury thresholds.
  • Predicting the effects of flow, thermal gradients and external fields on flexible and semi-flexible biological molecules will enhance our understanding of biological systems.
• Design of nanoparticles for drug delivery
  The ability to deliver drugs to specific cells in the body will lead to more effective and less toxic treatments for diseases. Multifunctional materials are being synthesized with precise architectures to target the drugs to appropriates cells while avoiding clearance by the reticuloendothelial system.
• Synthesis of bioinspired materials using nanotechnology
  Many biological materials have unusual designs that lead to enhanced properties. Using nanotechnology, "bioinspired materials" can be synthesized to reproduce these structures, leading to materials with unique properties.