Ian Wark Research Institute
ARC Special Research Centre
ARC Special Research Centre
Research Area: Nanomaterials, biomaterials
Supervisors:
Prof Namita Roy
Choudhury and
A/Prof Naba Dutta
Description: 'Tunability' or stimuli-responsiveness is
critically important for next-generation functional biomaterial�s
application Stimuli-responsive polymers, biopolymers, their conjugates
and hydrogels have emerged as one of the most important class of soft
condensed matter; and have been the major focus of research due to their
potential applications in the area of nanobiotechnology. The responsive
properties of biomimetic polymers such as elastin-mimetic proteins (EMPs)
that exhibit lower critical solution temperature have stimulated novel
protein engineering approaches for designing materials for biology and
medicine. Resilin is a structural protein commonly found in specialized
regions of the body of most insects, where there are highly repetitive
movements, such as the back legs of jumping insects, the vibrating
membrane of cicadas, or the wings of dragonflies. They are widely
distributed, with a broad range of biological functions and mechanical
properties, and exhibit unique characteristics. Such elastic proteins
attract significant research interest due to: (i) their biological and
medical significance, particularly in human disease; and (ii) their
unusual properties provide opportunity to develop novel materials.
Therefore, protein-based polymers can be designed with properties and
functions that go beyond those of known proteins, once the rules for
tuning their properties have been established. They will be useful in
designing diverse biomolecular devices with promising application for
the society.
In this project, we seek this goal by conjugation of unique recombinant
protein based elastomers derived from different insect proteins, with
responsive bioinert polymers for their use as bioactive hydrogels. This
will be investigated through crosslinking of the recombinant protein
resilin with specific responsive polymers and explore the thermodynamic,
physical and chemical properties of the biomimetic responsive
conjugates; evaluation of the effect of various physical and chemical
approaches to create responsive gel for controlled transport and release
applications. We will also explore their interactions with biological
species such as enzymatic protein urease and develop methodology to
integrate responsive materials with biomacromolecules. This fundamental
information will provide a basis for utilizing these novel gels for
different biomedical applications.
Funding: A grant application to the Australian research Council
(ARC) is currently being assessed. If successful, this grant will
support one IWRI fully funded scholarship. International students should
apply for an International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (IPRS) and
a UniSA President's Scholarship (UPS).
Australian students should apply for an Australian Postgraduate Award (APA)
and a UniSA Australian Postgraduate Research Award (USAPRA).
