This award by the Biomaterials program in the Division of Materials Research in support of the 2013 American Chemical Society Spring Meeting titled "Bottom-up Design of the Next Generation of Biomaterials" is cofunded by the Interfacial Processes and Thermodynamics Program in the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems. This symposium as part of the Division of Polymer Chemistry program will focus on four specific areas related to the bottom-up design of polymeric biomaterials: 1) novel approaches to synthesis and characterization; 2) design and application for drug and gene delivery; 3) design and application in tissue engineering; and 4) design and application for probing biological systems. The planned sessions are expected to provide recent advances in the bottom-up design, synthesis and characterization; and application of polymeric biomaterials for understanding and directing biological systems. This three-day symposium would offer a forum to highlight the recent developments in the field, and to facilitate discussion of what chemical, physical, and mechanical properties are needed for specific biological applications, and how to achieve these through bottom-up design approaches and novel chemistries. This conference would be of broad interest to researchers in chemistry, polymer chemistry, material sciences, bioengineering, biology, and medicine. In addition, this is expected to facilitate a dialogue among polymer scientists, chemists, bioengineers, and biologists to further the design and application of biomaterials through networking and the open exchange of ideas.
This symposium is expected to educate both the biomaterials and chemical communities in the highly relevant area on interdisciplinary research (chemistry, biochemistry, analytical science, materials science, and physics). In addition, this will discuss the latest developments, challenges and opportunities in the area of biomaterials and biological materials and their interactions. The planned sessions offer a forum to highlight recent developments in the field, and to facilitate discussion of what chemical, physical, and mechanical properties are needed for specific biological applications and how to achieve these through bottom-up design approaches and novel chemistries. Organizers expect this conference to be of broad interest to researchers in polymer chemistry, organic chemistry, bioengineering, biology, and medicine. Additionally, this conference will be showcasing the advances of interdisciplinary investigators while training young scientists of the next generation. Furthermore, this will be providing nucleation points for new research avenues and fostering the development of the next generation of researchers and educators.
Polymers are increasingly used in biomedical applications. For example, polymeric biomaterials are used for the fabrication of a growing number of medical products including, wound healing products, medical sutures, catheters, and implants. During the initial days of biomaterials science, commodity plastics, such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (Plexiglass), were used for biomedical needs. The field of biomaterials has since seen a rapid evolution and now synthetic materials are being designed to provide seamless integration with the end biological application. The current NSF grant (DMR-1265755) enabled the organization of a symposium at the Spring 2013 meeting of the American Chemical Society. The symposium ‘Bottom-up design of the next generation of biomaterials’ brought together experts in the design and use of biomaterials for several applications toward advancing the field and promoting collaboration. It provided a forum for attendees to discuss recent advances in the bottom-up design, synthesis, and characterization of polymeric biomaterials and how such materials are able to direct biological functions. Further, the symposium facilitated a dialog between polymer scientists, chemists, bioengineers, and biologists to improve the design and application of biomaterials with controlled properties. The NSF grant provided an opportunity for junior investigators, including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students, to present their latest research results, especially those currently underrepresented in science and engineering. In addition, the grant enabled the organizers to provide awards for outstanding graduate student oral presentations, postdoctoral presentations, and poster presentations, potential future leaders in the field.
