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Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/R69914/01
Title: Mimicking non-specific interactions between proteins and model organic surfaces by force spectroscopy
Principal Investigator: Haehner, Dr G
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
University of Heidelberg
Department: Physics and Astronomy
Organisation: UCL
Scheme: Fast Stream
Starts: 01 October 2001 Ends: 30 September 2003 Value (£): 59,750
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Surfaces & Interfaces Tissue Engineering
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Healthcare No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
Non-specific interactions between proteins and (synthetic) organic surfaces, and in partiuclar materials which are resistant to the adsorption of proteins from biological media, are of crucial importance to the fields of biomaterials, biosensors and medical devices. Chemically functionalised (charged and hydrophobic) scanning force microscope probes can mimic local structures of proteins and hence allow it to study the influence of these parameters on the overall observed interaction separately. We are planning to study the interaction between functionalised probes and model organic surfaces containing oligo(ethylene glycol) depending on parameters of the liquid environment, such as type of ion, ionic strength and pH value. The proposed experiments will result in a more detailed picture of the processes underlying protein/surface interactions and may lead to a microscopic understanding of the relevant forces.This is a prerequisite for synthesising organic molecules with tailored properties, such as resistance to non-specific bioadhesion.Our research focuses on the fundamentals of protein-model surface interactions, which on a longer term scale will be used for the design of materials for implants, tissue engineering and biosensors.
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