Biomimetic, Biohybrid and Bioactive Interfaces and Materials Design Guided by Machine Learning Algorithms

11am

MRB 202 Conference Room 

Candan Tamerler
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research 
Charles E. & Mary Jane Spahr Professor 
Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering , University of Kansas

Molecular recognition by proteins plays a critical role in biological processes including biomineralization. Several proteins, identified based on their key role in biomineralization, provide insight to the mechanisms involving highly selective molecular interactions with inorganic surfaces. Harnessing key biological interactions in engineering design can lead to novel materials with unusual multifunctional properties including self-responsive, self-healing, targeted delivery, and damage-tolerance among many others. Inspired by biological processes, our group has been exploring the peptides as the key fundamental building blocks to mimic the molecular recognition guiding the interactions at the biohybrid interfaces towards functional materials design. We expanded the use of peptide and peptidomimetic building blocks into modular molecular systems to provide the capability to materials with structures and functions for different applications areas. Our modular cell free synthetic biological modular systems demonstrated different properties ranging from self-assembly to mediating mineralization or catalytic function. By adapting experimental and computational approaches combined with machine learning (ML) methods, we continue our search for the peptides that present desired function under challenging environments. In our approach, we expanded our predictions from single function to multi-functional peptides to control their properties at the complex materials to tissue interfaces. During the presentation, identifying materials selective peptides, their characterization, and iterative design with enhanced properties will be discussed by providing specific examples on biohybrid materials designed by our group incorporating antimicrobial, remineralization and biocatalytic properties. The combined complexity and prevalence of diseases relates to oral and overall health requires well engineered and effective interventions to optimize patient outcomes. Our particular focus will be provided towards exploring biomimetic approaches that can impart the key biological activity toward prevention of diseases to restoring oral and overall health. Our peptide and peptide-inorganic and/or -polymer hybrid design and engineering approach targeting biohybrid interfaces provides an alternative delivery strategy to deploy peptides on the sites and increases their availability and preserving their efficacy.