AU Biomaterials Design Lab

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The American University Biomaterials Design Lab is a student run and operated laboratory course in the department of chemistry. Our goal is to develop methodology for the chemical modification of biocompatible materials and to taylor these new materials for medical and biotechnological applications. Our first semester of research will be the Fall of 2011. The efforts of this first semester will expand off of the work done developing protein films by Bakshi, et al (doi:10.1021/jp110296y). In this work, the authors synthesize a gold nanoparticle that is templated and solubilized by the protein bovine serum albumin (BSA). They then create a biocompatible film that encapsulates these gold nanoparticles. We will be developing techniques for chemically modifying the protein that encapsulates the gold nanoparticle and will test these methodologies on the nanoparticles while in solution and while in a film.