| 초록 |
Electrically conducting biomaterials have garnered new attentions from bioengineers since they can electrically modulate cellular functions and communicate with cells via electrical signals at the material interface. My research has been focused on biomimetic approaches to engineer electrically conducting organic materials (i.e., polypyrrole and graphene) to achieve relevant cell and tissue responses. First, biocompatible three dimensional conducting nanofibrous scaffolds were produced from poly(lactide-co-glycolide) nanofibers and polypyrrole as neural tissue scaffolds. Further modification of the conducting nanofiber scaffolds with nerve growth factor allowed for inherent neurotrophic activity. Neurite formation and elongation was observed with multiple stimuli including ‘electrical’, ‘physical’, and ‘biochemical’ cues. In addition, an electrical elastomer, graphene-layered PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), was fabricated as a flexible platform capable of modulating cellular responses with external electrical stimulation and tunable material mechanical properties for skeletal muscle tissue applications. I envision that the ultimate progression of these studies will facilitate the use of electrically conducting materials as bio-interfaces to modulate tissue function. |
