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SUMMARY:Polymers at the Materials-Biology Interface
LOCATION:Chemistry A101
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20199001T000000
UID:2026-05-04-11-46-28@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260504T114628
Description:About the Seminar:\nThe Palermo laboratory at Rensselaer Polyte
 chnic Institute focuses on advanced functional polymer synthesis\, with an
  emphasis on molecular-level biomimicry. We seek to develop next-generatio
 n biomaterials with unprecedented control of structure\, property\, and ac
 tivity. In this talk\, I will highlight three main thrust areas. (1) First
 ly\, we examine self-immolative polymers\, which are reversibly end-capped
  low ceiling temperature polymers that respond to specific stimuli by spon
 taneous chain unzipping. We explore methods to functionalize the side chai
 ns of self-immolative polymers to endow some desired characteristic\, such
  as water solubility\, antibacterial activity\, or tuned mechanical proper
 ties. Additionally\, we show that covalent cross-linking of these self-imm
 olative polymers can yield gels that are specifically programmed to depoly
 merize into soluble polymer upon exposure to designed stimuli. (2) Next\, 
 we will explore sequence control and dispersity effects in polythiophene t
 hat are designed to mimic the structure and function of host defense pepti
 des. Selective binding to bacterial cell membranes at very low (nanoM) con
 centrations\, combined with production of reactive oxygen species upon vis
 ible light illumination\, enables excellent antibacterial potency while ma
 intaining very low toxicity to human cells. (3) Lastly\, we discuss a new 
 class of polymeric pro-drug materials that are designed to extend the time
 scale of drug release via hydrolytic degradation to as long as 1-10 years.
  One example study will showcase polycarbonates composed of estrogen and P
 EG repeating units\, processed into thin films and electrospun fibers. We 
 demonstrate that these fibers effectively serve as guidance cues for neuro
 n regeneration\, providing neurotrophic and neuroprotective effects\nAbout
  the Speaker:\nEd earned a Ph.D. in Macromolecular Science &amp\; Engineer
 ing from The University of Michigan\, under the mentorship of Kenichi Kuro
 da\, in 2011. Ed was also an NSF EAPSI fellow at Nagoya University under P
 rof. Masami Kamigaito during the summer of 2010. Following a postdoc with 
 Anne McNeil in Chemistry at Michigan\, Ed joined the faculty at RPI in 201
 4 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. Ed has co-authored 30+ peer-revie
 wed journal articles\, reviews and book chapters\, with &gt\;1200 citation
 s and a current h-index of 15. His work has been recognized with the NSF C
 AREER award\, the ACS PMSE Young Investigator award\, the 3M non-tenured f
 aculty award\, and the ACS PRF Doctoral New Investigator award. 4:00 pm
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