Biodendrimers for Medical Applications

Biodendrimers for Medical Applications

Date: 02/16/2007
Time: 1:00 pm
Location: 310 Behrakis Hall
Speaker: Dr. Mark Grinstaff, Professor, Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry, Boston University

My students and I pursue highly interdisciplinary research in the area of biomaterials. The major goal in these research projects is to elucidate the underlying fundamental engineering and chemical principles, and to use that insight to direct our creative and scientific efforts. In one of our research projects, we are designing, synthesizing, and characterizing novel highly branched polymer called dendrimers for tissue engineering and wound repair applications. Dendritic macromolecules are versatile materials for medical applications since the structure, molecular weight, and chemical composition can be precisely controlled. Crosslinkable dendritic macromolecules are of interest for the preparation of hydrogels. The advantages of dendritic macromers for hydrogel formation include high crosslinking densities at low polymer concentration, varied physical properties through judicious choice of the macromer structure, and low viscous aqueous solutions for injection in an in vivo site. Specifically, we have reported the synthesis and characterization of polyester, polyester-ether, and polyamide dendrimers and dendrons composed of biocompatible building blocks. These polymers are subsequently crosslinked to afford the dendrimer-based hydrogels that are of use for the repair of ocular wounds.