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Project Description:
Future tissue
engineering and regenerative therapies will rely on the use of biomaterials that
mimic tissue function as closely as possible ("biomimetic" materials). The goal
is to simulate the natural wound healing response and trigger the body's own
repair mechanisms (the material serves to function as a regenerative
"band-aid").
Much of our research has been devoted to
the design and characterization of synthetic materials that can be used for such
applications. We have worked with electrically conducting polymers (polypyrrole)
-- because the body has inherent electrical properties and responds to
electrical fields -- as a means to promote neurite outgrowth in culture and to
enhance nerve regeneration. We have also modified polypyrrole to render it more
biomimetic and more biocompatible by synthesizing a biodegradable and more
pliable form of the material. In addition, we have created composite
biomaterials consisting of polypyrrole and hyaluronan (a natural sugar group
found in the body that can stimulate angiogenesis or new blood vessel growth).
Furthermore, we are currently using approaches to discover novel molecules that
interact with synthetic polymers as a means to facilitate their modification for
regenerative therapies. Finally, we are working in collaboration with MicroFab
in Dallas to develop three-dimensional conduits and gradients of factors that
are essential for nerve regeneration.
The figure above is a scanning electron
micrograph or SEM (highly magnified image) of the surface of a film of
polypyrrole.
Recent Publications:
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Schmidt, C., T. Rivers, T. Hudson, J.
Collier (2002). Modification of electroactive biomaterials for neural
engineering applications. In: Rubinson, J.F, Mark, H.B., Jr., ed.
Conducting Polymers and Polymer Electrolytes: From Biology to Photovoltaics,
ACS Symposium Series 832, pp. 154-165.
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Winter J.O., C.E. Schmidt (2002). Biomimetic strategies and applications in
the nervous system. In: Dillow, A., Lowman, A., ed. Biomimetic Design
of Materials: Strategies for Interactive Biointerfacial Strategies, Tissue
Engineering, and Targeted Drug Delivery, Marcel-Dekker. pp. 375-415.
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Rivers, T.J., T.W. Hudson, C.E. Schmidt (2002). Synthesis of a novel, biodegradable electrically conducting polymer for biomedical applications. Advanced Functional Materials.12:33-37.*Download PDF File*
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Kotwal, A., C.E. Schmidt (2001). Electrical stimulation alters protein adsorption and nerve cell interactions with electrically conducting biomaterials. Biomaterials. 22:1055-1064.*Download PDF File*
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Collier, J.H., J.P. Camp, T.W. Hudson, C.E. Schmidt (2000). Synthesis and characterization of polypyrrole/hyaluronic acid composite biomaterials for tissue engineering. J. Biomed. Mater. Res.50:574-584.*Download PDF File*
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