Our NIH-COBRE Center “Molecular Design of Responsive Biomaterials” (P30GM110758; Principal Investigator: Tatyana Polenova) focuses on the design of biomaterials for regeneration of liver and vocal fold tissues, and for drug-lead identification and payload delivery. A common design principle is that the macroscopic properties of these materials can be controlled in large part by the conformational properties and biological specificity of the constituent molecular building blocks, and that new chemical strategies and characterization methods are integral to their design. Materials are being developed by evaluating of the interplay between material structure and morphology, mechanical properties, biochemical interactions, in vitro cell-material interactions, and in vivo tissue responses. These studies will ultimately generate materials systems that are optimized for their intended applications.

Our COBRE center originally established in 2004, brings together scientists at all career stages from the University of Delaware Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Materials Science and Engineering, and Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.  These scientists collaborate across campus and with clinicians from the state of Delaware’s flagship research hospitals— Christiana Care and Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children.