Biomaterials and Drug Delivery
The biomaterials and drug delivery group focuses on the synthesis, fabrication, and evaluation of biomaterials, including nanobiomaterials for important applications in biomedicine. Their research efforts emphasize the development of new or improved biomaterials with exciting physical, chemical, and biological properties. These innovative materials are exploited for a variety of technologies, including imaging contrast agents, tissue engineering scaffolds, drug delivery, and artificial viruses for gene therapy. For example, the controlled release of bioactive molecules, such as peptides, proteins, and plasmids, are being actively investigated for the treatment of human diseases as well as for regenerative medicine.
Researchers in the Rice Department of Bioengineering that are involved in this field include: