BiomechanicsGroup
Mechanicsandpermeabilityofbiological(hybrid-)materials
nThemissionofthebiomechanicsgroupisto:
1.discovernew,todateunknownmaterialpropertiesofbiopolymermaterials;
2.identifythemicroscopicprinciplesthatgovernthosematerialproperties(mechanics,permeability);
3.applythoseprinciplestosyntheticpolymerstocreatebiomimeticmaterialsforbiomedicalapplications.
Thestudiedbiomaterialsrangefromverysoftgelssuchasvitreoushumorandmucustostifftissuessuchascartilage.Accordingly,abroadvarietyofcharacterizationmethodsisusedintheBiomechanicsGroup.Biomedicalques-tionsaddressedincludetattooremoval,preventionofmicrobialinfectionandreductionofwearinosteoarthritis.
Inourhighlyinterdisciplinaryprojects,we
worktogetherwithchemists,pharmacists,
physicistsandmedicalresearcherstogenerate,characterizeandoptimizeexis-tingandnovelbiopolymer-basedmaterialsandtotesttheirapplicabilityforbiomedicalorindustrialpurposes.Highlightsinthe
year2015werethedevelopmentofamolecularrepairmechanismfordamagedmucins(themaincomponentsofe.g.salivaandtears)andthesuccessfultransferofmicrobialmucuspenetrationstrategiesinto
anartificialmicroswimmersystem.
Prof.Dr.OliverLieleg
Contact
HydrogelsasProtectiveShieldstowardsInfection
Weaimatintegratingpurifiedmucin-biopolymersintootherpolymericmaterialstoharnesstheanti-viralandanti-bacterialpropertiesofmucins.Forthisapplication,thewoundgelweareengineeringneeds
topossesswell-tailoredviscoelasticproperties.Wealsoembednanoparticlesforacontrolledandprolongedrelease
ofdrugsthatbenefitthewoundhealing
process.Inthelongrun,weaimatreplac-ingthebiologicalcomponentby(semi-)syntheticpolymers.
Project
nDean’sInnovationFondoptimizedpurificationofanti-viralbiopolymers(mucinglycoproteins)fromthemucosaofpigstomachs
Woundgelonaskinlesion
BiomechanicsGroup 153
MicrofluidicChipsforDiffusionStudies
Microfluidicchip
PDMSmicrochipsareaversatileplat-formtostudythebehavioroffluidsonsmalldimensions.Weaimatgeneratingmicrochipsolutionstoquantifydiffusiveprocessesattheliquid/gelinterface.
Wealsotrytomimiccomplexbiologicalinterfacessuchasthebloodstream/connectivetissue.Incollaborationwith
medicalresearchers,wethencomparetheresultsobtainedfromourtissue-on-chipassaystoinvivodata.
Project
nSFB1032nanoagentsin3-dimensionalbiopolymerhydrogels
MaterialPropertiesofBacterialBiofilms
aroundtheprokaryotes.Thiscommunityofbiopolymersandbacteriaisreferred
toasabiofilmandconstitutesasevere
issueinindustryandmedicine.Weaimatquantifyingthematerialpropertiesofbacterialbiofilmswhichincludestheirmechanics,self-mendingabilitiesandwater-repellentsurfacepropertiestodevelopnewstrategiesfortheremovalofbiofilmsfromsurfaces.
Morphologyofabacterialbiofilm
Bacteriasecreteabroadrangeofbio-polymerswhichformaprotectivematrix
Projects
nSFB863mechanicsofbacterial
biofilms
nCeNSmechanismsofbiofilmformation
BiotribologyandLubrication
IntheframeworkoftheIGSSEfocusarea‘Biomaterials’wearestudyingthemechanicalandtribologicalpropertiesofnativecartilageandcartilagesubstitutes.Byexploitinglossandgainoffunctionexperiments,weaimtounderstandwhatmolecularcomponentsareresponsiblefortheoutstandingmechanicalpropertiesofcartilageandwhichlubricantsminimizefrictionandwearonarticularcartilagesurfaces.
Project
nLubrication,recoveryandageing
innativecartilageandcartilagesub-stitutes–LURACS
Articularcartilagebeforeandafterrehydration
154 BiomechanicsGroup
ResearchFocus
nBiological(hybrid-)materials
nCartilageandcartilagesurrogatematerials
nBiologicalhydrogelsasselective
diffusionbarriers
nMaterialpropertiesofbacterialbiofilms
nMedicalapplicationsofnanoparticles
Competence
nRheology,tribology
nMicrofluidics,diffusionmeasurements
nSurfacecharacterization
nPurificationofantibacterial/antiviral
glycoproteins
nCellculture,microbiology
Infrastructure
nRheometer,tribometer
nOpticalmicroscopes
nProfilometer
nScanningelectronmicroscope
nS1laboratory(workingpermissionforgeneticallymodifiedmicroorganismsofbiosafetylevel1)
nLaboratoryforcellculture
nEquipmentforproteinpurification
Courses
nMicroscopicBiomechanics
nExperimentalTechniquesforthe
CharacterizationofBiomaterials
nDesignPrinciplesinBiomaterials
nEngineeringSolutionsforBiomedical
Problems
nLabCourseinCellCultivationMethods
nBiophysicsLabCourseforBiochemis-tryStudents
Management
Prof.Dr.rer.nat.OliverLieleg,GroupLeader
AdministrativeStaff
IrisKönig-Decker,Secretary
TechnicalStaff
KonstantiniaBidmon,Biolog.-Technical
Assistant
SabineGünzkofer,LabAssistant
ResearchScientistsFabiennaArends,M.Sc.KathrinBoettcher,M.Sc.Dipl.-Ing.StefanGrumbein,BenjaminKäsdorf,M.Sc.Dipl.-Ing.JuliaNachtsheimConstantinNowald,M.ScDr.-Ing.MarwaTallawi
Publications2015
nD.Walker,B.Käsdorf,O.Lieleg,andP.Fischer,EnzymaticallyActiveBiomimeticMicropropellersforthePenetrationofMucinGels,ScienceAdvances,accepted(2015)
nB.Käsdorf,F.ArendsandO.Lieleg,Diffusionregu-
lationinthevitreoushumor,BiophysicalJournal,inprint(2015)
nK.Boettcher;S.Kienle;J.Nachtsheim;R.Burgkart;
Th.HugelandO.Lieleg,Thestructureandmechanicalpropertiesofarticularcartilagearehighlyresilienttowardstransientdehydration,ActaBiomaterialia,accepted(2015)
nT.Crouzier,K.Boettcher,A.R.Geonnotti,N.L.
Kavanaugh,J.B.Hirsch,K.Ribbeck,andO.Lieleg,ModulatingMucinHydrationandLubricationbyDeglycosilationandPolyethyleneGlycolBinding,AdvancedMaterialsInterfaces,publishedonline:doi.org/10.1002/admi.201500308(2015)
nS.Kienle,K.Boettcher,L.Wiegleb,J.Urban,R.
Burgkart,O.LielegandTh.Hugel,Comparisonoffrictionandwearofarticularcartilageondifferentlengthscales,JournalofBiomechanics,48(12)
3052-3058(2015)
nF.Arends,S.Sellner,Ph.Seifert,U.Gerland,M.
Rehberg,O.Lieleg,Amicrofluidicsapproachtostudytheaccumulationofmoleculesatbasallaminainterfaces,LabonaChip,15,3326-3334(2015)
nM.Maier,K.W.Müller,C.Heussinger,S.Köhler,
W.A.Wall,A.R.Bausch,O.Lieleg,Asinglechargeintheactinbindingdomainoffascincanindepen-dentlytunethelinearandnon-linearresponseofanactinbundlenetwork,TheEuropeanPhysicalJournalE,38(5)15050(2015)
nF.Arends,C.Nowald,K.Pflieger,K.Boettcher,S.
ZahlerandO.Lieleg,Thebiophysicalpropertiesofbasallaminagelsdependonthebiochemicalcompositionofthegel,PlosOne,10(2)e0118090(2015)
BiomechanicsGroup 155