Cell spreading correlates with calculated logP of amino acid-modified surfaces.

The interactions of cells with synthetic surfaces are a critical factor in biomaterials design and it would be invaluable if these interactions could be precisely controlled and predicted. Hydrophobicity or lipophilicity of the surface is commonly used to rationalize cell attachment to materials. In the pharmaceutical sciences it is common practice to use logP, the partitioning coefficient between water and octanol, as a reliable indicator of the hydrophobicity or lipophilicity of (drug) molecules.

Controlling protein retention on enzyme-responsive surfaces.

The ability to change the properties of solid surfaces on demand is a key component of a multitude of established and emerging technologies. Stimuli that have previously been used to trigger changes in surface properties include changes in solvent, light, pH, ionic strength, temperature and magnetic or electric fields. We are interested in developing surfaces that can be triggered by the catalytic action of enzymes.