Standard protein assays and analyses involving quartz crystal microbalance technology will be employed to qualitatively and quantitatively assess protein adsorption dynamics. The information obtained in these studies will serve as the basis for a material property-biological performance database, in which the associations among in vitro cell-material interaction, protein adsorption, and processing parameters will be considered. The database will be of fundamental value for regulatory decision-making in FDA-CDRH related to devices with titanium oxide or zirconium oxide surfaces. This research and education program is well-suited to goals of the Scholar-in-Residence program because it combines nanomaterials processing capabilities at the UNC/NCSU Department of Biomedical Engineering with in vitro biological characterization capabilities at the CDRH. This program will involve graduate student and PI activities at the FDA White Oak campus over a two-year period.
