Use of Conducting Polymers As Biomaterials for Neural Tissue Engineering Interfaces

I graduated with a doctorate in chemical engineering from the University of Texas, Austin. My dissertation work involved investigating the use of the conducting polymer polypyrrole in neural applications. Ultimately, my goal was to make progress in the field of biomaterials such that in the future better therapeutic systems for nerve regeneration could be made. This involved both investigating fundamental questions of how neural cells interact with biomaterials and using that knowledge to synthesize and characterize new biomaterials. I am currently a NSF post-doctoral fellow working on super hydrophobic coatings for biomaterials at ISurTec. As a young faculty member, I would like to work on both investigating the fundamental biology of brain cancers and on investigating the use of conducting polymers for treatments of brain diseases including cancers. I believe my background makes me well suited for tackling both areas. As part of my research I would use multi-scale computational modeling to determine the effect of mechanical forces on brain cancer growth. As an experimental component to this research I would look at determining the effect of extracellular matrix stiffness and ligand density on brain tumorogenesis.  While developing a better understanding of brain cancers, I would also investigate the use of conducting polymers as drug delivery devices for treatment. As to not limit the impact of my research, this branch of my research would emphasize the creation of new conducting polymers for a multitude of different brain diseases including the treatment of brain cancers.