Department Research Areas
Biomaterials
From wound dressing and drug delivery to medical device innovation, biomaterials play a crucial role in modern medicine and biotechnology. As the global population ages and chronic diseases become more prevalent, the demand for advanced biomaterials continues to grow. In addition to synthetic materials, new research in this field is expanding the potential of biomaterials to better mimic human tissues, improve biocompatibility, and promote healing while reducing infection. Biomaterial researchers also engineer new tools to improve fundamental understanding of biological systems.
Participating Faculty
The following faculty work on research around biomaterials. Visit their profile pages to learn more about their specific areas of research.
Sample Projects
Bioinspired antifouling biomaterials
Ren lab is interested in engineering new biomaterials to prevent bacterial colonization and biofilm formation, the root cause of medical device associated infections. The team developed two new strategies (named dynamic topography and active topography) to create smart biomaterials that can change surface topography on demand. The team demonstrated that these approaches can effectively remove bacterial biofilms by 3 logs and sensitize the detached cells to conventional antibiotics. For example, Ren lab developed a new antifouling strategy based on active topography that drives magnetically responsive micron-sized pillars to beat with a tunable frequency and force level. This novel design demonstrated strong antifouling activities that can inhibit biofilm formation of multiple species and remove established biofilms. Recently, the team further improved this system by coating the pillars with mucin, a host-derived protein involved in innate immunity. This bioinspired design enhances biofilm disruption through not only mechanical forces but also interruption of bacterial motility via biological interactions.
Representative publications:
Zehui Han, Yikang Xu, Huan Gu, Teng Zhang, Dacheng Ren. “Biofilm Control by Active Topography with Mucin Coating” Advanced Functional Materials. 35, 2422753 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202422753
Sang Won Lee, K. Scott Phillips, Huan Gu, Mehdi Kazemzadeh-Narbat and Dacheng Ren. “How microbes read the map: effects of implant topography on bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation.” Biomaterials. 268, 120595 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2020.120595
Huan Gu, Sang Won Lee, Joseph Carnicelli, Teng Zhang and Dacheng Ren. “Magnetically driven active topography for long-term biofilm control.” Nature Communications. 11, 2211 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16055-5