Contact
Expertise Summary
- surface modification and analysis
- peptide based materials
- polypeptides
- enzyme responsive materials
- cell-surface interactions
- self-assembled materials
Teaching Summary
I am involved in teaching chemistry in the following modules for Pharmacy students:
Gastrointestinal and Liver Disorders (B32GIL)
- Enzyme chemistry & enzyme kinetics (Lecture)
Drugs from Bench to Bedside (B33E12)
- Synthesis of potential PDE4 inhibitors (Lab practical)
Research Summary
My research focuses on the design, analysis and application of functional biointerfaces. The unifying goal of my research activities is to improve the way cells interact with artificial materials to… read more
Current Research
My research focuses on the design, analysis and application of functional biointerfaces. The unifying goal of my research activities is to improve the way cells interact with artificial materials to enhance biomaterial and biomedical device performance and drug delivery.
Challenges we currently aim to address include
- Investigating and establishing control over self-assembly via surface properties
- Delivery of drugs on demand in response to disease specific biological stimuli
- Formulation of self-assembling molecules for drug delivery
- Understanding and controlling cell-material interactions in the context of stem cell fate and immune response
The group is very interdisciplinary and covers a range of disciplines and techniques, including
- Surface mediated self-assembly
We aim to understand how surfaces influence the physicochemical bulk properties of supramolecular materials and exploit this to design new functionality into self-assembled materials.
- Stimuli responsive materials
We are developing materials that are responsive to biological stimuli such as enzymes or non-invasive stimuli such as light. We design and create enzyme responsive bulk materials and surfaces that respond to biologically relevant cues and can thus dynamically respond to a biological environment, e.g. for cancer drug delivery. Light responsive materials are used to non-invasively control the display of biomolecules on material surfaces, including particles, to elicit specific biological responses, e.g. to influence neuronal activity.
- Hydrogel based biomaterials
We prepare hydrogels from both supramolecular materials and polymers for drug delivery and/or protein stabilisation. Hydrogel films are explored for the culture and control of stem cell fate.
We are using peptides to functionalise both bulk materials such as hydrogels and surfaces to render them enzyme responsive. to do this, we employ either conventional solid phase peptide synthesis approaches or N-carboxy anhydride polymerisations.
- Surface functionalisation
We develop new ways to modify surfaces of biomaterials and particles to render them responsive or provide biologically relevant functionalities for specific applications.
- Surface and interface analysis
We employ and develop a range of different analytical approaches to characterise the novel materials generated in our group. This includes cryo-analysis of biomaterials and cells using Tof-SIMS and the analysis of protein coatings on microparticles.