Molecular Understanding, Design and Development of Ultra-low Fouling Zwitterionic Materials

An important challenge in many applications, ranging from drug delivery carriers to medical devices, is the prevention of nonspecific protein adsorption on surfaces. To address this challenge, our goals are twofold. First, we strive to provide a fundamental understanding of nonfouling mechanisms at the molecular level. Second, we aim to develop biocompatible and environmentally benign ultra low fouling materials based on the molecular principles we have learned. Over the last 15 years, we have demonstrated that zwitterionic and mixed charge materials and surfaces are highly resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption, cell adhesion and bacteria adhesion/biofilm formation from complex media. Both simulation and experimental results indicate that the strong hydration of zwitterionic materials is responsible for their excellent nonfouling properties. Recent results show that zwitterionic materials do not induce immunological response in blood circulation and capsule formation upon implantation and are able to preserve protein and cell bioactivity. Zwitterionic materials have been shown to be superior to poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based materials for a number of biomedical and engineering applications such as drug delivery carriers, medical devices, cell preservation/expansion media, and marine coatings.

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