Also, we were the first lab to calculate the complete phase diagram of adhesion, relating adhesion molecule properties to the dynamics of adhesion. Future work in this area will focus on systematic alteration of adhesion molecule function, analysis of structure-function relationships of adhesion molecules, and the development of mutated forms of adhesion molecules with altered structure. We are applying our knowledge of cell adhesion to tissue engineering and drug delivery . In tissue engineering, we are examing the fundamental role that endothelial cell adhesion to extracellular matrix plays in the formation of new blood vessels, a process called angiogenesis. In drug delivery, we are constructing polymeric carriers that are both adhesive and biodegradeable, and which can deliver pharmaceuticals diretly to a targeted site in the micro circulation.
Viruses are fascinating, compact biological packages whose sole goal is to infect host cells.
A step in the viral infection cascade is membrane fusion, where the outer lipid bilayer of the virus fuses with a membrane of the host cells. The coalescence of these two membranes allows the genetic material of the virus to enter the host cell nucleus. This fusion is mediated by proteins on the viral surface, which are designed to cause membrane coalescence, often at low pH. We have been interested in the mechanism of fusion, and how it is controlled by the physical chemistry of the viral adhesion molecules and the lipid chemistry of the cell membranes. We have studied how small fragments of the fusion molecule on influenza virus destabilizes biomembranes. Our long term goal is to reconstitute the fusion activity of viral molecules into larger structures, such as vesicles and cells, to measure the mechanics and dynamics of fusion using micropipette aspiration, in which the fusing membranes are held in close proximity and under a known applied force by small diameter micropipettes.