Presenter: Prof. Yong Wang (Penn State)
Topic: Programmable Biomaterials for Protein Delivery
Time: 9:00 AM, Jul. 12th (Tuesday)
Location: Conference Room B, BLDG 909-1F
Abstract
The human body is a multifunctional object whose functions can be precisely regulated in a dynamic but controllable manner. The fundamental question our lab is interested in is whether the human being can develop a material that can undergo multiple, dynamic and controllable changes under physiological conditions. To address this question, we have synthesized a series of hydrogels using nucleic acid aptamers that are single-stranded oligonucleotides with the ability to bind target molecules or cells with high affinities and specificities. We have further examined the properties of these hydrogels in controlling the release of protein drugs. Different from traditional hydrogels that are highly permeable, aptamer-functionalized hydrogels can stably sequester and retain soluble proteins. Importantly, rationally designed triggering molecules can regulate the functions of aptamers in molecular recognition for on-demand protein release from hydrogels at the right time and at the right amount. In addition to proteins, we have applied aptamers and triggering molecules to manipulate the binding states of living cells and found that cell catch and release can be programmed on the hydrogel surface. Therefore, our effort has led to a new paradigm in developing biomaterials that hold great potential of mimicking the functions of the human body for various biological and biomedical applications.
Biography
Dr. Yong Wang is currently a professor in Department of Biomedical Engineering at Penn State He was promoted to professor in July 2016. He obtained his B.S. in 1995 from Jilin University, Changchun, China, and M.Sc. in 1998 from Chinese Academy of Sciences, China. He obtained his PhD from Duke University. He joined Penn State in January, 2013. His current research interests lie at the intersection of Biomedical Engineering and Nucleic Acids Research. He received NSF CAREER Award in 2010 and NSF INSPIRE Award in 2012. Many papers were published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Biomaterials and so on.
Contact: Prof. Lichen Yin
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