A symposium entitled """"""""Designed Macromolecular Assemblies for Biomedical Applications"""""""" is being organized to be held at the 233rd American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting between March 25th and 29th, 2007, in Chicago, IL. The symposium is sponsored by the Polymeric Materials: Science and Engineering (PMSE) Division of the ACS. This symposium will address current chemical issues in macromolecular design for biomedicine, particularly those emerging technologies that rely on the aggregation, assembly, or clustering of multiple macromolecules to provide materials whose functions largely arise from such assembly. Although such chemical approaches are currently impacting a wide range of both health-related and non-health-related fields, this particular symposium will focus on three specific areas where designed macromolecular approaches show particular health-related promise: scaffolds for regenerative medicine; gene and drug delivery; and surface modifications to mediate interactions between synthetic and biological systems. The objectives of the symposium are: 1) to bring together scientists from both the synthetic chemistry community and the more applied bioengineering community to promote cross-fertilization of ideas and technologies for designing macromolecular assemblies; 2) to highlight recent advances in the design, production, and application of tailored macromolecules for the above three focus areas. Presenting significant novel synthetic advances will expose a diverse audience both to the latest application-specific ideas in macromolecular design as well as the underlying themes that span applications. 3) To facilitate opportunities for junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students researching macromolecular assemblies to present their research results at a dynamic, interdisciplinary, and high-impact national conference. Accomplishment of these objectives will contribute to the vitality and pace of innovation in three thrust areas that are of significant importance to the improvement of human health. Specific efforts will be made to utilize the requested financial support to enhance the attendance and participation of women and minorities in this symposium. This symposium will positively affect human health by bringing together chemists, bioengineers, materials scientists, and biologists who are designing new assemblies of molecules useful in diagnostics and therapies ranging from tissue repair to gene delivery. By highlighting cutting edge chemical approaches for designing and producing these materials, researchers working towards disparate applications can be illuminated by being exposed to common problems, issues, and solutions that span these applications. ? ? ?
