The development of next-generation health monitoring and treatment devices requires an ability to design biomaterial interfaces with predictable properties, and an effective workforce to make discoveries and propel technological advances. This project will address these needs by 1) developing a fundamental understanding of peptide-based self-assembled monolayers and designing these interfaces to have desired biomaterial properties; and 2) helping to create a diverse workforce with expertise in biomaterials. The fundamental knowledge in peptide self-assembled monolayers gained in this project can help speed the development of implantable technologies for monitoring and treating non-communicable diseases, which currently cause more than 60% of annual worldwide deaths and trillions of dollars in economic losses. Specifically, this project will impact the fields of drug delivery, sensors, and capture-release applications. In addition, an innovative education program is being developed which uses peptides as a platform to increase high school, undergraduate, and graduate students’ self-efficacy in areas related to engineering and design, and positively impact attitudes toward social responsibility at the university level. Self-efficacy is a metric positively related to academic achievement, persistence, and engagement in academic work. Graduate and undergraduate students will learn industry-relevant project planning skills through a hands-on peptide engineering project and then, in a unique service learning experience, lead high school students in related projects. This effort is in partnership with a local high school where over 90% of the students are from underrepresented minority groups.
PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARY
The main objectives of this project are to 1) develop models that predict the properties of peptide self-assembled monolayers; and 2) increase self-efficacy in performing engineering tasks across a diverse group of high-school, undergraduate and graduate students. The research program will focus on fundamental understanding of peptide self-assembled monolayer transition temperature, which controls stimuli-responsive behavior; effective surface coverage, which controls access to the substrate; and self-assembled monolayer kinetic assembly, which controls these biomaterial properties. Elastin-derived sequences will be studied because elastin is known to have stimuli-responsive properties and has been proposed for a broad range of biomaterials applications. Currently, there are no established models to predict elastin self-assembled monolayer responsive behavior, effective surface coverage, or kinetic assembly. This project will fill these gaps in scientific understanding by using a combination of peptide design and techniques such as quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring, cyclic voltammetry, and time-resolved attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy. The research program will be coupled with new interactive service learning initiatives that will engage students at the high school, undergraduate, and graduate levels. A unique undergraduate-/graduate-level project planning learning module will be innovated to encourage students to use their peptide engineering knowledge to create pedagogical content for an outreach program with East Cleveland female high school students to teach valuable research and engineering skills. Student self-efficacy will be measured at all levels using validated survey instruments to assess the success of the education programs.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
