Virginia Tech polymer scientists have developed a new family of gene vectors – novel polymers that can ferry genetic material across the cell membrane so that it can be incorporated into the machinery of the cell.
Representing Virginia Tech faculty members and students from engineering, chemistry, and veterinary medicine, Chemistry Professor Tim Long will give an invited lecture at the 233rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Chicago March 25-29.
The presentation will be an overview of novel polymers developed by Virginia Tech researchers for biomedical applications, with an emphasis on gene delivery and tissue scaffolds. “Both of these emerging technologies are enabled with fundamental advances in polymer chemistry,” Long said.
“Synthetic macromolecules can be easily modified to contain a variety of functional elements capable of interacting with biological systems,” he said. “Initial studies have found macromolecular topology to be a significant parameter in the delivery of DNA into cells.”
In the cell, the new DNA initiates the manufacture of therapeutic proteins, such as might be needed to treat a genetic disease where an enzyme or protein is not produced naturally. The Virginia Tech vectors presently being tested in cell cultures are proving to be superior to surfactant benchmarks and offer reduced toxicity to viral vectors, Long said.
Meanwhile, scientists at Virginia Tech have developed a single-step process for creating fibrous mats from a small organic molecule – a new nanoscale, biocompatible material (Jan. 20, 2006, Science, "Phospholipid Nonwoven Electrospun Membranes," by Matthew G. McKee, John M. Layman, Matthew P. Cashion, and. Long).
Since last year, they have improved the durability of the phospholipids through novel photochemistry during electrospinning and have begun to impregnate the porous mats with cells that will initiate tissue regeneration.
Source: Virginia Tech
Related stories:
Wireless technologies used today based on decades of work at Virginia Tech
Technologies used today by companies, such as Direct TV, Iridium Satellite, Bluetooth, and Globalstar, are based on satellite communications efforts started at Virginia Tech four decades ago in its Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).
Researcher converts biodiesel-waste glycerol into omega-3 fatty acids
The typical American diet often lacks omega-3 fatty acids despite clinical research that shows their potential human health benefits. Zhiyou Wen, assistant professor of biological systems engineering in Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, found a way to grow these compounds using a byproduct of the emerging biodiesel industry.
New chlorine-tolerant, desalination membrane hopes to boost access to clean water
A chemical engineering professor at The University of Texas at Austin is part of a team that has developed a chlorine-tolerant membrane that should simplify the water desalination process, increasing access to fresh water and possibly reducing greenhouse gases.
Tips on how to build a better home for biological parts
Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have compiled a series of guidelines that should help researchers in their efforts to design, develop and manage next-generation databases of biological parts. The stakes are high: the concept of biological parts is essential if methods developed in other fields of engineering are to be applied to biology.
Review article provides tools for the Rosaceae genomics community
A recent paper published in the journal
Plant Physiology provides a comprehensive overview of the genomics tools and resources available for the rapidly growing
Rosaceae scientific community.
Rosaceae is an economically important group of plants that comprises more than 3,000 species, including strawberry, apple, peach and pear. Members of this plant family provide high-value nutritional foods and they are also the source of other desirable aesthetic and industrial products.
Researchers use supercomputer to track pathways in myoglobin
Some 50 years ago, after decades of effort, John Kendrew determined the structure of the small globular protein, myoglobin, which is responsible for oxygen storage in cells. For this discovery, he shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry with Max Perutz, who did similar work on hemoglobin. But a mystery remained: Exactly what paths does oxygen follow as it moves in and out of myoglobin?
Lasers, software and the Devil's Slide
Running for more than 1,000 kilometers along picturesque coastline, California's Highway 1 is easy prey for many of the natural hazards plaguing the region, including landslides.
Inexpensive roof vent could prevent billions of dollars in wind damage
Hurricanes often lift the roofs off buildings and expose them to havoc and damaging conditions, even after the worst of the wind has passed. A local roofer, Virginia Tech faculty members from architecture and engineering, and a graduate student have devised an inexpensive vent that can reduce roof uplift on buildings during high winds, even a hurricane.