CBE Seminar (Zoom): Molecular Understanding, Design and Development of Zwitterionic Materials

Zoom link to be distributed by CBE department (For non-UCI people: see link below to register)
Shaoyi Jiang, Ph.D.

Robert S. Langer ’70 Family and Friends Professor
Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering
Cornell University

Non-UCI people: Please use this registration link: https://forms.gle/nTFTDWcK1987CdN58 

Abstract: An important challenge in many applications is the prevention of unwanted nonspecific biomolecular and microorganism attachment 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 materials based on the molecular principles learned. As a result, we have shown that zwitterionic materials and surfaces are highly resistant to nonspecific protein adsorption and microorganism attachment from complex media. Typical zwitterionic materials include poly(carboxybetaine), poly(sulfobetaine), poly(trimethylamine N-oxide), and glutamic acid (E) and lysine (K)-containing poly(peptides). Unlike poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), there exist diversified zwitterionic molecular structures to accommodate various properties and applications. Furthermore, unlike amphiphilic PEG, zwitterionic materials are super-hydrophilic.

In this talk, in addition to design principles, I will discuss the application of zwitterionic materials to implants, stem cell cultures, medical devices, drug delivery carriers and marine coatings. With zwitterionic materials, results show (a) no capsule formation upon subcutaneous implantation in mice up to one year, (b) expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) without differentiation, (c) no anti-coagulants needed for artificial lungs in sheep, (d) no antibodies generated against zwitterionic polymers and environmentally benign marine coatings. Currently, we are integrating immunology into our biomaterials research and translating our biomaterials to applications ranging from cancer vaccine to precision medicine.

Bio: Shaoyi Jiang joined the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell as the Robert S. Langer ’70 Family and Friends Professor in June 2020. Before Cornell, he was the Boeing-Roundhill Professor of Engineering in the Department of Chemical Engineering and an adjunct professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington, Seattle. He received his Ph.D. degree in chemical engineering from Cornell University in 1993. He was a postdoctoral fellow at UC Berkeley between 1993 and 1994, and a research fellow at California Institute of Technology between 1994 and 1996, both in chemistry. He is currently an executive editor for Langmuir (ACS journal), an associate editor for Science Advances (a Science family journal from AAAS), a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He received the Braskem Award for Excellence in Materials Engineering and Science, AIChE (2017). His research focuses on biomaterials, particularly highly biocompatible zwitterionic-based materials for biomedical and engineering applications.

Host: Professor Szu-Wen Wang