Research

Subgroups:

Dispersed systems for biomedical applications

dr Mariusz Kępczyński

FOCUS:
♦ porphyrins with covalently attached polymer chains as sensitizers in PDT
♦ vesicles as drug vehicles
♦ nanocapsules and nanoparticles made from silica and silicone materials
The investigation include:

SYNTHESES:
♦ syntheses of porphyrins with covalently attached polymer chains
♦ syntheses of silica-silicone precursors

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
♦ sol-gel processes
♦ catanionic vesicles
♦ liposomes as a model of biological membranes

Materials for controlled drug delivery

dr Anna Karewicz

FOCUS:
♦ charged liposomes as carriers for biologically active molecules
♦ micospheres from natural biocompatible polymers and their hydrogels for sustained or controlled release of drugs
♦ stimuli-responsive polymers in controlled delivery and tissue engineering

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
♦ emulsification technique to obtain the polymeric microbeads (size of 1-20 um)
♦ Layer-by-Layer process to cover micro- and nanocarriers with thin layers of polyelectrolyte
♦ film hydration method followed by sonication or membrane extrusion to obtain liposomes
♦ optical and fluorescence microscopy, AFM and SEM, light scattering to characterize micro- and nanoparticles
♦ HPLC and GPC, UV-Vis and fluorescence methods for release studies

PROCESSES:
♦ controlled release of model (calcein, rodamine) and bioactive (5-ASA, heparin, curcumin) substances from the films and micro/nanocarriers
♦ swelling/dowelling and diffusion processes in polymeric hydrogels

Molecular modelling of surfactant bilayers

dr Dorota Jamroz

FOCUS:
♦ structure and properties of surfactant bilayers
♦ interaction of small molecules of biological interest with surfactant or lipid bilayers
♦ parametrization of the force field for functional groups which are common constituents of ionic surfactants

METHODS:
♦ molecular dynamics simulations
♦ quantum mechanical calculations

SOFTWARE:
♦ GROMACS
♦ Gaussian 03 / Gaussian 09
♦ GAMESS
♦ RESP

Nanoengineering of functional polymeric materials

dr hab. Szczepan Zapotoczny

FOCUS:
♦ nanostructural polymeric materials for photochemical and biomedical applications
♦ usage of Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) as a primary technique in nanotechnology of soft matter
♦ energy/electron transfer processes in the confined environments
♦ photosensitized reactions in the polymeric nanoreactors
♦ photochemistry and photophysics of selected compounds (e.g. Excited-State Proton Transfer)

SYNTHESES:
♦ syntheses of amphiphilic photoactive polymers using Controlled Radical Polymerization
♦ Surface Initiated Polymerization (SIP) for the formation of polymer brushes

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
♦ multilayer photoactive films and capsules prepared by Layer-by-Layer (LbL) approach
♦ biocompatible capsules for controlled drug delivery
♦ polymer brushes as advanced functional platforms
♦ Force Spectroscopy on biological objects (e.g. receptor sites on macrophages)

Polymeric and hybrid materials for biomedical and environmental applications

dr hab. Krzysztof Szczubiałka

FOCUS:
♦ photochemical molecular imprinting of molecules of biomedical interest
♦ polymeric scaffolds for tissue culturing
♦ hybrid aluminosilicate-polymeric photosensitizers
♦ polymer-surfactant interactions
♦ stimuli-responsive ("smart") polymers for environmental and medical applications (purification of water from surfactants, removal of heparin from blood)

MATERIALS:
♦ polymers of natural origin (polysaccharides: starch, cellulose, carrageenan, hydroxypropylcellulose, chitosan; proteins: collagen, elastin)
♦ chromophores: naphthyl, carbazoyl, rose bengal, porphyrin, chlorophyll, thymyl, cinnamoyl
♦ layered aluminosilicates: montmorillonite, bentonite

PROCESSES:
♦ molecular imprinting based on photoreactions such as photodimerization
♦ synthesis of porous biodegradable polymeric scaffolds for easy detachments of cellular cultures
♦ intercalation of polymeric photosensitizers between aluminosilicate layers, photochemical degradation of environmental pollutants
♦ removal of surfactants from water using stimuli-responsive polymers
♦ removal of heparin from blood after surgeries and therapies

Silicon nano- and microstructures

dr Joanna Lewandowska

FOCUS:
♦ nano- and microstructures made from silica and silicone materials
♦ stabilizing surfactant vesicles and liposomes as carriers for biologically active molecules
♦ magnetic microspheres from silica precursors for biomedical applications

MATERIALS:
♦ surfactant vesicles and liposomes as a template
♦ alkoxysilanes as a precursors

PROCESSES:
♦ syntheses of silica-silicone precursors
♦ Stober synthesis and Ouzo effect as a ways of obtaining silicone structures
♦ sol-gel processes to stabilized surfactant vesicles and liposomes with thin layers of silicone