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Benjamin Chu, Ph.D.
Distinguished Professor
of Chemistry and Materials Science & Engineering.
Funding through the National Human Genome Research Institute.
A principal research interest of our laboratory group focuses on the
structure-property-process relationships in biopolymers. Recently, our
group has initiated a series of studies on processing biodegradable, bioabsorbable
and biocompatible polymers for medical applications. The thrust of this
work is to develop novel processing techniques to shape the polymers into
foams, nanosize fibers, microspheres and membranes for tissue engineering,
drug delivery, medical sutures and scaffolding materials for organ fabrications.
Figure 1. SEM micrographs of two bioabsorbable
polylactide membranes produced by the electrospinning technology
(the average fiber diameter is 150 nm). The viscosity, surface
tension, electrostatic forces, concentration and ionic strength
of the precursor solutions control the morphology of the membranes.
The different morphology leads to very different biodegradation
rate as well as drug release rate. |
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With our colleague Benjamin Hsiao, Associate Professor of Chemistry,
we have developed a unique electrospinning process to produce bioabsorbable
polymer membranes using an annealed assembly of very thin filaments with
length scales in the micron-size range (Figure 1). These bioabsorbable
membranes show great potential for anti-adhesion surgical applications.
The polymers that we study include polyglycolide (PGA), polylactide (PLA)
and polycaprolactone (PCL) homo- or/and copolymer systems that have been
routinely used in medical sutures. Importantly, this unique process makes
it possible to load the membranes with drugs such as antibiotics, enzyme
inhibitors or growth factors. Because this project is interdisciplinary
by nature, requiring input from chemistry, physics, biology, materials
engineering and electrical engineering, it presents a unique opportunity
to bring engineering, physical science and biology students together.
Engineering students will have the opportunity to learn the optimization
of the novel electrospinning technique, the development of new electrospinning
instruments, the evaluation of spun fiber and membrane properties and
the investigation of flow behavior in polymers, all with the goal of creating
unique biomaterials. Students in the physical sciences (chemistry, physics)
will have the opportunity to engage in various studies of biodegradation,
drug release control, tissue/polymer interaction, animal testing, medical
imaging and structural determination.
Contact Information
email: benjamin.chu@sunysb.edu
url: http://www.bme.sunysb.edu/bme/people/faculty/fac_prog_a_d.html#chu
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