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Hongjun Liang
Position: Assistant Professor
Education: B.S., University of Science and Technology of China; Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Interests: Interactions of biological functionality andexogenous surface at different length scale: microbiologicallyinfluenced corrosion and biofilm; membrane protein crystallization andmembrane protein-based devices; bio-inspired energy conversion;self-assembly; interactions of nanomaterials with bio-system;drug-delivery; biomineralization.
Office: Hill Hall 301
Phone: 303-384-2339
E-mail: hjliang@mines.edu
Our Complex Functional Materials Group at Mines builds in theinterdisciplinary area of material sciences, bioengineering, andmolecular biology. The central theme of our research is to study thecooperative interactions between biological functionalities andexogenous surfaces at different length scales, which will have directimpacts on human health and environmental safety issues, nanoscienceand nanotechnology, bio-inspired energy conversion and storage, as wellas many other disciplines. Examples of our research projects include:
1. Biofilm and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC):Biofilm is a substrate-attached microorganism community confined withina self-developed polymeric matrix that is highly structured andresistant to environmental disturbance. Although biofilm formation haslong been known to influence corrosion, effective prevention andcontrol of MIC are poorly understood;
2. Membrane protein assembly and application: Membrane proteins area class of nanoscopic entities associated with cell membranes, and arethe "gate-keepers" for matter, energy, and information transport acrossthe cellular boundaries. They are estimated to represent 20-30% of thecurrently sequenced genomes, and are targets for about 70% of all drugsin the market. Little is known on how to harvest their unique functionin practical devices. We are investigating the design rules to createstable and addressable functional membrane protein arrays on engineeredsubstrates;
3. Artificial "cell" for drug-delivery: Extraordinary advances inmolecular biology and biochemical engineering have been made to developvast arrays of therapeutic agents. To develop strategies for theirhighly specific and efficient delivery is equally important but lagsfar behind. Emerging nanotechnology is expected to play a pivotal rolefor drug delivery. However, the general opsonization-mediatedphagocytosis, cytotoxicity and immunogenicity are some of the intrinsicproblems when these nonselective nano-carriers enter the circulationsystem. We are interested in the development of artificial "cell"comprised of nanoscopic "nucleus" (which either bears functions itselfor is loaded with desired cargoes of biomedical interests) andbioactive membrane (which renders the "cells" responsive to biologicalstimuli and site-specific targeting property) for the next generationdrug-delivery;
4. Cooperative assembly of nanoscopic objects with biomolecules:Although biomolecules differs greatly in sizes and structures, many ofthem have at least one dimension in the size regime of 100-101 nm. Thesame is true for various engineered nanomaterials that are increasinglyimplemented in various fields and are expected to lead the nextindustrial revolution. Cooperative assembly between biomolecules andnanomaterials is expected. Although human and environmental exposure tonanomaterials is inevitable, the potential toxic effects of suchexposure are largely unknown. Studying the cooperative assembly ofnanoscopic objects with biomolecules is crucial to understand themetabolic pathways of the nanoscopic objects, which are key for theirdesired functions (e.g. in the field of nanomedicine) and inherenttoxicity. It will also give insight on the bio-inspired assembly ofnanoscopic objects into functional devices.
Positions Open: We are seeking motivated postdoctoral fellows,graduate students and undergraduate students who are interested in thebroadly defined biomaterials area.
来源: 化学吧 - 化学论坛 - 学术论坛
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发表于 2010-10-6 06:22:24
