Undergraduate Research with Dr. Stuart Cooper
Polyurethane Biomaterials, Blood-Material Interactions, Tissue Engineering

General Research Description
Current Projects
Undergraduate Contributions
Future Undergraduate Projects
Undergraduate Qualifications
Contacts & Links

General Research Description
A polymer’s molecular structure is directly related to its macroscopic properties. For instance, Teflon (the nonstick coating on pots and pans), polyethylene (Ziploc baggies), and pressure sensitive adhesives (Scotch Tape) are all synthesized in the same way, but display a wide variety of capabilities due to their specific chemical structure. In Dr. Cooper’s lab, we use this knowledge to molecularly engineer polymer materials to fulfill desired applications.

Current Projects

Development of a blood compatible synthetic vascular graft
Vascular grafts are polymer tubes that replace a damaged/diseased blood vessel. In an ideal world, a graft would function as well as a natural artery. However, this is not the case. Blood clots on all synthetic surfaces (including current graft material), and as a result most small diameter grafts are fully clogged by a blood clot after only a few years. Building a surface which is blood compatible would be a huge step in the biomaterials field.

We have designed a new material which has similar mechanical properties to natural blood vessels, and now we are trying to increase the blood compatibility of this surface by building in anchoring sites which specifically attract endothelial progenitor cells. These adult stem cells have been proven to help maintain the human circulatory system, and their daughter cells actively prevent blood clotting in the body. We hope to engineer a surface which attracts these cells, and will lead to a surface which actively inhibits the growth of blood clots when implanted into a human host.

Engineering of a water resistant pressure sensitive adhesive
Pressure sensitive adhesives are commonly used as tapes and protective films. However, no synthetic adhesives are able to adhere to wetted surfaces. In fact, expensive and time consuming drying steps must be used in industry before adhesives can be applied to a product.

How is it that marine mussels can attach to submerged rocks? If you analyze the mussel “glue” it is a protein made from unique amino acid derivatives. By building pieces of these proteins into a synthetic pressure sensitive adhesive, we hope to create a biomimetic adhesive which can stick to wetted surfaces.
 

Undergraduate Contributions
None yet.

Future Undergraduate Projects
In the future, we would like to have an undergraduate researcher who would be active in characterizing the materials we synthesize in the lab. Testing would include analysis of the chemical composition of the polymer chains, measuring the tensile properties of the bulk material, and analyzing the nanostructure of the processed material through image analysis software.

There is currently no undergraduate research thesis available in this group.

Undergraduate Qualifications
Funding is not currently available; thus research positions are for course credit or volunteer only.  Cooper will take on non-thesis students only at this time.

Class standing: Junior or Senior
GPA: 3.0 or higher
Necessary courses: No stringent requirements, though a background in polymer science would be helpful

Contacts & Links
Faculty Profile
Biomolecular Curriculum Option
The best way to get involved is to contact Dan Heath, a graduate student in Dr. Cooper's lab, at heath@chbmeng.ohio-state.edu