Our Research
At the Biointerface Lab we strive to understand and control
phenomena occurring at the interface between synthetic
materials and biological molecules. We have three main areas
of focus: biomineralization, i.e. the formation of minerals
in living organisms, both physiological and pathological,
implant-tissue integration, and drug delivery. An emerging
aspect of our research is the exploration of the
intersection between science and art. Explore more details
below!
Physiological Calcification
Bone and teeth are two examples of tissues where physiological
biomineralization happens: a calcium-phosphate based mineral, hydroxyapatite,
forms on a collagen matrix, stengthens these tissues and provides a
crucial reservoir of calcium and phosphate ions. We have several
projects related to improving bone and tooth mineralization,
through hydrogels (
Example 1,
Example 2) and scaffolds (
Example) for bone tissue engineering or
through the development of new toothpastes and other oral care formulations.
We often include bioactive glasses (
Example) in our solutions; the surface of
these glasses transforms into a layer that mimics physiological hydroxyapatite
when immersed in body fluids.
Pathololgical Calcification
Calcium phosphate minerals like what we have in bones and
teeth can also form on tissues that are normally soft, such
as heart valves and arteries. These are examples of
pathological calcifications; they can lead to several health
problems, including heart failure. In our group we
characterize pathological calcifications in animals (
Example) and
humans (
Example),
create hydrogel-based models (
Example 1,
Example 2,
Example 3)
of the physiological environments where calcifications form, develop new methods
for detect them at early stages, and, ideally, dissolve
them.
Implant/tissue integration
Most implants fail because they do not integrate well enough
with surrounding tissues; this leads to fibrous encapsulation,
or in the worst cases, infections. With our surface-focused
approach, we modify the surface of materials currently used as
dental or orthopedic implants (polymeric (
Example 1,
Example 2)
or metallic (
Example 1,
Example 2)) with
functional groups (
Example)
or proteins (
Example) that enhance both hard and soft
tissue integration.
Drug delivery
Efficient deliver of a drug implies the design of a carrier
that can lead the drug to the desired location, deliver it
gradually and within a desired timeframe, ideally on-demand
depending on internal (eg change in pH) or external (eg light)
stimuli. In our group we work on different aspects of drug
delivery: we design bioactive glasses (
Example)
that release therapeutic
ions at the desired rate and promote tissue regeneration; we
encapsulate drugs inside nanoparticles that target specific
tissues (for example, pathological calcifications), and
release them as they degrade, or as light (
Example)
shines on them.
Science/art intersection
The scientific and artistic inquiry share several common
features, most prominently curiosity, observation, inspiration
from nature, and creativity. We are working side by side
with a group of designers from the faculty of fine arts at
Concordia university to explore new avenues of research in
the field of graphene-based stimuli responsive materials.
The project leverages our deep expertise in graphene
material development (
Example 1,
Example 2,
Example 3)
for both tissue engineering (
Example 1,
Example 2) and
filtration (
Example 1,
Example 2), and the expertise of the Concordia group in
designing large scale responsive materials in artistic
installations and beyond. (
Example video science-art intersection)