Welcome to the Biointerfaces Group of Cornelia G. Palivan!
We study soft bio-hybrid materials resulting from the combination of biomolecules with synthetic assemblies at the nano- and micro-scale. The goal of our research is to probe and understand the relation between the components of bio-hybrid materials as well as the biointerface of such materials with cells or simple animal models. The main questions that guide our research are: How can biomolecules preserve their function in a synthetic environment? How to modify biomolecules to induce new functionality and how is this affected when a bio-hybrid material is designed? How to self-organize bio-hybrid assemblies in more complex architectures to provide multifunctionality? Which are the interactions of bio-hybrid materials with cells? How to produce a new bio-hybrid material with desired functionality for specific applications? Our interest extends from fundamental understanding at the molecular level of such bio-hybrid materials and associated biointerfaces to technological and medical applications.
Latest Publications

Advances in Biohybridized Planar Polymer Membranes and Membrane-Like Matrices
O. M. Eggenberger, P. Jaśko, S. Tarvirdipour, C.-A. Schoenenberger, C. G. Palivan
Helv. Chim. Acta2023, e202200164. DOI: 10.1002/hlca.202200164

Clusters of polymersomes and Janus nanoparticles hierarchically self-organized and controlled by DNA hybridization
V. Mihali, M. Skowicki, D. Messmer, and C. G. Palivan
Nano Today, 2023, 48, 101741, DOI: 10.1016/j.nantod.2022.101741

Cell-derived Vesicles with Increased Stability and On-Demand Functionality by Equipping their Membrane with a Cross-linkable Copolymer
X. Huang, D. Hürlimann, H. T. Spanke, D. Wu, M. Skowicki, I. A. Dinu, E. R. Dufresne, C. G. Palivan
Adv. Healthcare Mater., 2022, DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202202100

Tailoring Polymer-based Nanoassemblies for Stimuli-Responsive Theranostic Applications
M. S. Muthwill, P. Kong, I. A. Dinu, D. Necula, C. John, C. G. Palivan
Macromol. Biosci.2022, 2200270. DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202200270

A DNA-Micropatterned Surface for Propagating Biomolecular Signals by Positional on-off Assembly of Catalytic Nanocompartments
V. Maffeis, D. Hürlimann, A. Krywko-Cendrowska, C.-A. Schoenenberger, C. E. Housecroft, C. G. Palivan
Small 2022, DOI: 10.1002/smll.202202818