Research Interests:

My group is involved in research at the interface of biotechnology and nanotechnology.  We are working on the engineering of therapeutics – polyvalent molecules and viral gene delivery vectors – and the molecular engineering of biosurfaces and nanostructures.  Some areas of interest are described briefly below: 

Polyvalency. Polyvalent interactions, characterized by the simultaneous binding of multiple ligands on one entity to multiple receptors on another are ubiquitous in biology.  Polyvalent interactions can be collectively much stronger than the corresponding monovalent interactions.  The concept of polyvalency can be utilized to design molecules that efficiently antagonize biological interactions (such as those between a virus and its target cell) and serve as potent pharmaceuticals.  We are interested in designing polyvalent therapeutics for several diseases including anthrax and AIDS. 

Nanobiotechnology. We are interested in designing self-assembled nanoscale materials that can serve as multivalent cellular effectors – materials that activate biological processes and promote cellular responses.  We are investigating the fundamentals of the interaction between proteins and nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes.  We are investigating applications of nanostructured materials in biosensing.  We are also investigating pattern formation in aligned carbon nanotube films; the resulting cellular foams may be useful as light-weight shock-absorbent structural reinforcements.   

Biosurfaces. Gene therapy refers to the treatment of disease by delivering genes to specific target cells.  One of the most promising approaches to gene delivery utilizes the natural ability of viruses to deliver their DNA to human cells.  However, the antibody-mediated clearance of the vectors, and their broad tropism, are major obstacles preventing clinical gene therapy.  We are interested in developing strategies to overcome these obstacles, thereby paving the way for human gene therapy.  We are also interested in designing novel biocompatible surfaces that prevent the adsorption of proteins and the attachment of bacteria (for applications in biomaterials, bioseparations, and biosensing). 

Microfabrication and Microfluidics. We are using soft lithographic microfabrication techniques to control the cellular microenvironment and promote the differentiation of stem cells for applications in tissue engineering.  We are also developing novel microfluidic strategies for the separation of DNA.

Funding :  ACS-PRF, DOE, NIH, NSF-NSEC, NSF