Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

My lab investigates the Molecular Biomechanics of structural biopolymers in animals. Our goal is to understand of the relationships between their molecular structure, their physical chemistry, their mechanical properties and their function in living organisms. However, in studying biopolymer systems we are keenly aware that the basic science we gather can be used in the development of new structural proteins through genetic engineering and also can provide direction for the development on novel technologies by mimicking designs found in Nature. In the current proposal we will investigate the following biopolymer systems. 1. SPIDER SILKS: We will continue our long-standing efforts on the development of genetically engineered silks for industry by investigating the role of fibroin sequence on the strain-rate dependence of mechanical properties in spider dragline silks. 2. INTERMEDIATE FILAMENTS: We have made important discoveries the design of intermediate filament-based materials, which will allow us to develop processes to make IF-based nano-fibres and possibly even artificial wool fibres. We will combine these materials as appropriate and wet-spin or electro-spin them into filaments appropriate for mechanical characterization and application in various systems. 3. RUBBER-LIKE PROTEINS: We have worked for decades on the structure and properties of elastin, as well as the functional design of vertebrate arteries. We will do a mechanical and structural analysis of elastic lamellae and lamellar sub-structures by combining micro-testing with a new polarized light microscope recently provided by NSERC, in an effort to understand the mechanical basis for the durability of elastic arteries. We will investigate the mechanical properties of the remarkable elastic protein, resilin, obtained from insects, and we will characterize the properties of recombinant resilins synthesized by our collaborator, Dr. C. Elvin, CSIRO, Australia. Finally, we will we will continue our analyses of the collagen fibre-lattice structures in fish skins, with the objective of understanding the functional role of this structure in fish swimming.