Project title: Use of Marine Algae Bioactive Compounds for Sensing, Tissue Engineering and drug delivery approaches
Our objectives are to isolate, characterize and sustainably utilize marine macroalgae bioactive compounds for the development of innovative systems for tissue engineering, sensing and drug delivery approaches. In particular, sulfated polysaccharides found in different algae species are considered since they resembles the chemical and biological properties of mammalian glycosamiloglycans. Degree and pattern of sulfation of this kind of biopolymer favors their binding property with tissue and conferred gel formation potential. Therefore, our investigation explores and chemically modified the structural and gelling properties of sulfated polysaccharides isolated from local algae species for their use in the preparation of new polymeric matrices (hydrogel films, micro and nanoparticles) for site-specific drug delivery and other biomedical applications. REU students will participate in the scientific process implied in the development of novel biopolymer materials, from the isolation from natural sources and characterization, to their testing in biological system analogs. They will be instructed in extraction (ASE,SFE, MAE) and chromatographic (FPLC, HPLC, GCMS) techniques, spectroscopic (UV-VIS, FTIR, NMR, FLU), calorimetric (DSC, TGA) and electrochemical methods. Our laboratory facilities are equipped with chromatography instruments (HPLC, GCMS, GCFID, and FPLC), UV-VIS and FTIR spectrometers, a differential scanning calorimeter, a BASI potenciostat, a Parr High pressure/ temperature Reactor, a Supercritical Fluid Extractor and an Accelerated solvent Extractor.
To contact Dr. Díaz you can write to the bellow address
E-mail: lizvazquez8@gmail.com
E-mail: lizvazquez8@gmail.com