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.