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Nano-Biomedical Engineering

Our group is involved in a range of research topics related to the nano-biomedical field. Our collective knowledge of biology and engineering, in particular self assembly of nanoparticles and peptides, has allowed us to research the implementation of these phenomena into various therapeutic applications.

The main aspect of our research is the use of peptides, short chains of amino acids, for a variety of drug delivery applications. We have designed specific peptide sequences to be used as delivery agents for anti-cancer drugs, short interfering RNA (siRNA) for use in RNA interference, as well as in HIV/AIDS vaccine design. To be able to utilize these peptides for therapeutic applications, detailed understanding about these systems is needed. In order to understand the fluid flow in solid tumors and how peptide-drug conjugates are taken up by tumor sites, modeling is being applied. Furthermore, the biocompatability and hemocompatibility of these peptide based nanoparticles must be understood, to ensure they are safe for use in vivo. Self/co assembling peptides are also being used in the design of biosensors.

We have a wide variety of instruments available for our research, including fully equipped biological labs, as well as various instruments to characterize peptides and peptide-drug conjugates (AFM, UV-Vis spectroscopy, DLS, and fluorometry). Through the use of this equipment and our comprehensive knowledge in nano-biomedical systems, we hope to solve some most challenging and interesting problems in the field: