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Development of novel molecular tools for bioactive functionalization of nanocellulose based coatings towards advanced wound healing.
Smart molecular tools will be developed aiming at bioactive functionalization of nanocellulose substrates towards advanced wound healing activity.
Keywords: nanocellulose, protein engineering, material sciences, wound healing, antimicrobial activity, immunomodulatory activity, cell biology, biochemistry, smart materials
**Description:** Nanocellulose based coatings have emerged great interest as functional wound dressings and coatings mediating enhanced biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of implant materials. By developing smart molecular tools we aim at functionalizing surfaces and studying the effect of different immobilization techniques on the biomolecules specific activity. Through the utilization of engineered recombined proteins we want to establish a molecular tool box effective for the bioactive modification of different types of nanocellulose substrates in simple one-step reactions.
**Description:** Nanocellulose based coatings have emerged great interest as functional wound dressings and coatings mediating enhanced biocompatibility and antimicrobial activity of implant materials. By developing smart molecular tools we aim at functionalizing surfaces and studying the effect of different immobilization techniques on the biomolecules specific activity. Through the utilization of engineered recombined proteins we want to establish a molecular tool box effective for the bioactive modification of different types of nanocellulose substrates in simple one-step reactions.
**Goal:** The goal of this project is to use different genetic engineering techniques in order to design and express novel bifunctional protein molecules for the specific immobilization of bioactive factors on cellulose substrates supporting wound healing. The recombinant proteins will be designed, expressed and characterized in vitro. Immobilization studies will be performed in order to compare the novel molecular tools to conventional physical and chemical immobilization strategies. The cytocompatibility and bioactive functionality is then investigated by determining the viability and cytokine release from model cell lines or antimicrobial activity against model bacteria strains.
**Goal:** The goal of this project is to use different genetic engineering techniques in order to design and express novel bifunctional protein molecules for the specific immobilization of bioactive factors on cellulose substrates supporting wound healing. The recombinant proteins will be designed, expressed and characterized in vitro. Immobilization studies will be performed in order to compare the novel molecular tools to conventional physical and chemical immobilization strategies. The cytocompatibility and bioactive functionality is then investigated by determining the viability and cytokine release from model cell lines or antimicrobial activity against model bacteria strains.
**Location:** Research is conducted in an international environment and in close cooperation with several partners from the Empa Laboratories for Applied Wood Materials (Dübendorf/St.Gallen, Switzerland) and Biointerfaces (St.Gallen), from ETH Zürich, Switzerland and the Forschungszentrum in Jülich, Germany. Your main base will be located at the Empa site in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
**Contact details:**
Ramon Weishaupt
Empa
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
Laboratory for Biointerfaces
Lerchenfeldstrasse 5
9014 St. Gallen
Switzerland
Tel +41 58 765 70 22
Fax +41 58 765 74 99
Ramon.weishaupt@empa.ch
**Location:** Research is conducted in an international environment and in close cooperation with several partners from the Empa Laboratories for Applied Wood Materials (Dübendorf/St.Gallen, Switzerland) and Biointerfaces (St.Gallen), from ETH Zürich, Switzerland and the Forschungszentrum in Jülich, Germany. Your main base will be located at the Empa site in St. Gallen, Switzerland.
**Contact details:** Ramon Weishaupt Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology Laboratory for Biointerfaces Lerchenfeldstrasse 5 9014 St. Gallen Switzerland Tel +41 58 765 70 22 Fax +41 58 765 74 99 Ramon.weishaupt@empa.ch