As more and more chemical companies are recognizing the value of biologics, a graduate's background in biologically related topics is of increasing value. The application of biochemical pathways to industry has yielded the opportunity for using biologics to catalyze reactions or purify yields. It is also possible for companies to produce chemicals that can be sold at market as biologically active agents. Knowledge of biochemistry in addition to process control and reactor design is regarded with high value in some sectors of industry.

Biomolecular engineering is a field that addresses the interactions of matter and the use of such interactions for or with living material. The interactions can include investigations at the atomic scale as well as at the cellular or organism level. Nanoparticles can and have been used with living systems in the form of nanospheres for the delivery of therapeutics or even as vectors for delivering DNA into living cells. At the same time, the delivered biomolecules are often utilized for the purpose of bringing out a desired cellular response, perhaps for the benefit of an entire organism.

Bioengineers are often interested in polymers that can be used with cells to create an engineered tissue for clinical applications. Proper characterization of the polymers is vital to clinical success, but proper synthesis techniques are also important. Judicious selection of the appropriate activators or cross-linkers is to be considered to prevent unwanted side effects to the seeded cells or to the host following implantation. A thorough understanding of possible degradation products is also critical in preventing negative long term effects to patients. Students will be offered the chance to address such issues through both coursework and laboratory experiences if desired.

Engineering with the Living

The scope of work in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is very wide, ranging from the nano-scale inventions to geologic events such as coastal erosion. Within the department there is an intense focus on biologic applications. While many students are taught the art of cell culture, the extension of these techniques is quite varied indeed. At right, cell migration and aggregation behaviors are studied in real time in a controlled environment, with acquired data being relevant for ongoing prostate cancer research. At left, a student focuses in on an area of cells for fluorescence investigations.

In the area of tissue engineering, core chemical engineering concepts such as kinetics, material balances and mathematical modeling enable computer-aided design of tissues. Researchers within the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering can predict how single cells will assemble into tissue and select tissue properties. This line of research is also applicable to cellular engineering. Computer simulations identify critical steps in cellular pathways that stimulate or inhibit cellular response to external factors. This approach has been used to enhance the longevity of cultures used in the commercial production of pharmaceuticals (Figure) and cell differentiation into soft tissue for cosmetic and reconstruction applications.

While the study of cellular characteristics is a focus in some projects, the harnessing of known cellular behaviors is being used for cellular and tissue engineering. Biodegradable scaffolds can be seeded with cells and implanted into living organisms following a suitable culture period. The material used for such scaffolds, any additional chemicals (factors) attached to the scaffolds, the cells chosen for seeding, and the method of seeding are all important parameters that are considered even before the cells begin growing within their engineered environments. Following seeding, cells can be treated in a variety of ways to elicit a desired response such as controlled differentiation in the case of stem cells, increased proliferation rates, or the production extracellular matrix or messenger molecules for enhanced cell anchorage or intercellular communication. In creating an engineered tissue, a key goal is to produce an implantable construct with the same properties as native tissue.

Cellular engineering is more concerned with cellular response on a smaller scale. Through genetic manipulation, cells can be fashioned to react to common stimuli in uncommon ways. This technology is useful in harnessing the power of cells to produce molecular products that are very costly or otherwise infeasible to produce in a chemical plant or other manufacturing facility. For example, such technology could be used to produce drugs for the pharmaceutical industry, or to produce power stored in the form of a fuel cell. Other uncommon responses are also being investigated, with long-range applications aimed at the healthcare, computing, and automotive industries (among others).

Other work within the department has a decidedly medical feel to it. At left, a student employs microsurgical techniques to harvest cells of interest that will be grown for an implantation study. At right, an image of a bladder tumor taken in vivo via ultrasound demonstrates the establishment of a tumor model without the need for surgical incisions. Other medically-relevant research includes a gene delivery approach that targets carcinoma-type tumors. The targeting, demonstrated below, has been used to transfer genes of interest into mixtures of various cell types while having only desired cells express the delivered message. (Note the existence of distinctly red or green cells without overlap.) This targeting principle has been applied to existing tumors in vivo to bring about tumor cell death while leaving surrounding tissues relatively unaffected.

Uncommon responses to controlled events may hold the key to important breakthroughs.