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Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Doctoral Dissertations

Theses/Dissertations

Polyelectrolyte

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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Vitreous Gel Physics, Svetlana Morozova Jul 2017

Vitreous Gel Physics, Svetlana Morozova

Doctoral Dissertations

The transparent vitreous, which fills the posterior cavity of the eye, is incredibly engineered. The charged polyelectrolyte hyaluronic acid (HA) network swells to maintain the pressure in the eye, while stiff collagen type II bundles help absorb any external mechanical shock. Our investigations have contributed to a few key developments related to the physical properties of the vitreous: (1) The stiff collagen network that supports the soft gel network is self-assembled from single triple-helix collagen proteins. Electrostatic interactions drive this assembly, such that the size and concentration are optimized at physiological salt concentrations. The width of the assemblies remarkably changes …


Layer-By-Layer Self -Assembly For Enzyme And Dna Encapsulation And Delivery, Amish Patel Oct 2004

Layer-By-Layer Self -Assembly For Enzyme And Dna Encapsulation And Delivery, Amish Patel

Doctoral Dissertations

Thin wall microcapsules were formed via Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly of alternate adsorption of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte on microcores. After the core dissolution, empty polymeric shells with 20–25 nm thick walls were obtained. These microcapsules were loaded with Myoglobin, Hemoglobin and Glucose Oxidase by opening capsule pores at low pH and closing them at higher pH. The native structure of the enzyme was not affected due to different treatments. Biocompatible nanoshells were also prepared for encasing DNA. Using the same Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly approach nanoparticle were constructed containing DNA as one of the layers. The nanoparticles of different architecture were used to deliver …