Research

Lipid microsphere

Biomaterials

The design of a wide variety of drug-delivery systems, surgical implants, artificial organs, and wound-closure devices is critically dependent on biomaterials. Researchers are using both traditional methods of synthesis and protein engineering strategies to develop biologically inspired polymers for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. The design criteria for these materials are based on stringent functional constraints to regulate biological functions in a well-controlled and biocompatible manner. For example, novel polymers are being developed to control tissue adhesions, a major cause of post-operative problems that often leads to death, by regulating the building blocks during synthesis and modifying the polymer surface characteristics in a manner that recreates conditions in the body. Another area of interest is the use of biomaterials to design artificial extracellular matrices that serve as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. These scaffolds are engineered in complex three-dimensional shapes and compositions and allow to control certain microenvironmental cues (e.g., cell-extracellular matrix interactions, biomechanical stimuli) on the nano-, micro-, and macroscale.

Drug Delivery

Molecular therapeutics form the basis for the prevention and treatment of most human diseases. Engineering solutions are needed for delivering a chemical compound to the site of treatment, manipulating genes for gene therapies, or predicting the effects of drugs and combinations of drugs on the patient. New initiatives in computational biology and genomics on the Ithaca campus, combined with the focus on structural biology and genetic medicine at Cornell University Medical College, provide a rich basis for engineering efforts in drug delivery, design, production, and metabolism.

To efficiently target therapeutic agents (e.g., anti-cancer drugs, contrast agents for imaging) to tumors, researchers are developing sophisticated nanoparticulate systems that carry specific surface molecules to recognize and bind to cancer cells. Other drug delivery projects are exploring the use of biomaterial based systems for the controlled release of biomolecules. For example, delivery of vaccines to mucus secretions may prevent transmission of viral or bacterial diseases, while release of DNA or RNAi may lead to advances in genetic therapy. In related work, microscale devices that use living cells to represent various organs are allowing researchers to construct analogs to animal physiology. When used with computer models, these analogs help predict the effects of a drug on the body based on studies of the drug or drug cocktails at the molecular and cellular levels. This technique minimizes the amount of expensive and time-consuming animal experimentation normally required for drug evaluation.