Biomaterials and Pharmaceutical Materials (BPM)
Synthesis and characterization of novel hard and soft materials and composites for biomedical and pharmaceutical applications; dynamics of mechanical, chemical, and transport properties of biomaterials; evaluation and elucidation of materials interactions with biological tissues and media, and with pharmaceuticals
visual of biomaterials

Applications: 

  • Drug and biomolecule delivery
  • Passive and active surface coatings for medical devices
  • Pharmaceutical excipients and formulation
  • Artificial tissue replacement materials
  • Scaffolds for tissue engineering

 

Principal Investigators:Primary areas of expertise:
Chun Wang, Program Leader (BME)Polymers and gels, micro and nanoparticles, drug and vaccine delivery, material-biology interface, immunotherapy
Wei Shen (BME)Bioactive materials
Ron Siegel (Pharmaceutics/BME)Drug and hormone delivery, biosensing, hydrogels, microfabrication, drug/polymer dynamics
Changquan Calvin Sun (Pharmaceutics)Crystal and granular properties of solid drugs
Raj Suryanarayanan (Pharmaceutics)Solid state properties of drugs, stability of drug/biomaterial formulations
Bob Tranquillo (BME/CEMS)Biopolymers as tissue scaffolds; cell-matrix interactions

Facilities: 

We have at our disposal state of the art equipment from both the College of Science and Engineering, the Department of Pharmaceutics, and the Academic Health Center. Polymer molecular characterization can be carried out using x-ray diffraction and scattering (SAXS and WAXS, PXRD), and light scattering (static and dynamic). PXRD can also be used to characterize polymorphism and solvation characteristics of pharmaceuticals, by themselves or in the presence of polymers. Other available molecular characterization techniques include DSC (scanning and oscillating), TGA, and Confocal Raman Microscopy. Several novel instrumentations at the Characterization Facility and the Biomedical Image Processing Laboratory are available, including cryo-SEM and cryo-TEM, cry-microtomy, AFM, profilimetry/micromechanical testing, and nanoindentation. Tissue Mechanics Lab houses the CellScale BioTester 5000 planar biaxial test system for tissues and compliant biomaterials

Contact: 

To learn more about the Biomaterials and Pharmacetuical Materials Program and IPRIME, contact Chris Ellison, Faculty Director.