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Sally's Project Page - RISE summer 2005 |
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Intern: Sally M. Jensen, Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester
Mentor: Badriprasad Ananthanarayanan
Faculty Supervisor: Matthew Tirrell
Department: MRL |
INDUCING CELL ADHESION TO RGD-FUNCTIONALIZED BILAYER MEMBRANES.
Surface properties of biomaterials are becoming increasingly important
as application in biomedical devices and sensors grow. Current research
involves functionalizing a bilayer membrane with the specific amino acid
sequence, arginine- glycine- aspartic acid, RGD. This peptide, from the
fibronectin protein in the extra-cellular matrix (ECM), is commonly used
as a cell adhesion-promoting molecule. RGD can promote integrin-receptor
mediated attachment of cells on various surfaces and can be used to modify
bilayer membranes as well as other surfaces. Lipids with RGD head groups,
spacers, and double, sixteen carbon tails form vesicles and can subsequently
be made into lipid bilayers on a prepared surface after a fusion and rupture process.
The concentration of RGD modified lipids is varied and the changes in adhesive
qualities of the surface are measured. Altering the length of the spacer group
between the peptide and the tails may also affect the adhesive qualities.
This study attempts to provide a correlation between concentration and accessibility
of RDG modified peptide amphiphiles and the number and morphology of cells adhered.
This research encourages new possibilities for cell adhesion to biocompatible
surfaces for uses in tissue engineering or implantations.
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