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Helmut Strey, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering.
Funding by the National Science Foundation.
Figure 1. DNA cavity arrays for biomolecular
separation. |
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Nature’s ability to assemble simple molecular building blocks into
highly ordered materials, such as those found in cell membranes, cell
nuclei, cytoskeleton, cartilage, or bone presents many fascinating and
unanswered questions. We are interested in how to tune the interactions
of water-soluble building blocks so as to induce their assembly into useful
microstructures much needed for the next generation of controlled drug
delivery, biosensors and DNA sequencing applications. In particular, we
are working on:
- Long-range ordered polyelectrolyte-surfactant microemulsions that
are used as templates for solid nanoporous materials using polymerization
and/or cross-linking strategies. Such materials, because of their well-ordered
porous structure, will allow more efficient molecular separation and
drug delivery.
- We are developing biosensors that are based on biopolymer chiral
liquid crystals and quantum dot colloidal crystals. In both cases the
softness of the systems allows the induction of a strong optical response
to external stimuli. Such sensors should be able to quantitatively detect
and measure analyte concentrations at hormonal levels.
- We are developing methods to perform biomolecular separation on a
chip. Using e-beam lithography we are creating cavity arrays that will
allow to separate biomolecules over several orders of magnitude in molecular
weight. We study diffusion and intramolecular dynamics employing single-molecule
fluorescence.
Our laboratory would provide an ideal placement for an undergraduate
who has a background in physics, biophysical chemistry or biomedical engineering.
We have available projects involving small angle x-ray scattering to map
out the phase diagram of polyelectrolyte-surfactant emulsions, fluorescence
microscopy to investigate single biomolecule dynamics, and microfluidics
design to develop biosensor arrays.
Contact Information
email: strey@mail.pse.umass.edu
url: http://bme.sunysb.edu/bme/people/faculty/h_strey.html
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