Szu-Wen Wang

One of the current challenges in biomaterials research is the design and fabrication of functional nanostructures at progressively smaller length scales. Since biology has been enormously successful in assembling complex nanoscale systems, research in Wang's group couples the principles of self-assembly with nature-inspired macromolecular systems to engineer new materials and therapeutic strategies.

The approach in Wang's research uses the detailed control that genetic engineering provides in defining the polymeric architecture of proteins, and unites this with synthetic strategies that broaden the scope of chemical functionality. This enables a better understanding of the relationship between molecular organization and material characteristics, which can then be used towards designing new material properties.

The research group is currently investigating (1) the fabrication of inorganic nanoarrays using biological templates, (2) the design of nanoscale protein complexes for molecular transport of molecules, and (3) the development of novel biopolymers for drug delivery. These studies have relevance in technological areas that include pharmaceutics, tissue engineering, biosensors, and electronic and optical devices.