Grant: Fellowship - Priority Announcement: Transfusion Science

Compatibility of any surface brought in contact with blood depends on the response of the molecular and cellular defense systems that can potentially be activated by that interaction. The coagulation, complement, immune and inflammatory pathways can all be initiated as can platelet and white cell activation. The extent to which these occur depends on the detailed nature of the adsorption, specific binding or rejection reactions that occur at the material-blood interface. In this project we will develop new polymer brush systems based on carbohydrate based monomers to reduce protein adsorption, complement activation and platelet activation when the surfaces are exposed to blood in vitro. We will study the interaction of such well defined brush systems with blood protein solutions to try to define the physicochemical mechanisms that determine whether the brushes activate complement/coagulation by rejecting or adsorbing large molecules. We will do a systematic study of activation of coagulation, complement and platelets as function of features of brushes. We will work to develop and understand antithrombotic coatings utilizing carbohydrate based brush systems, as these could have multiple applications in blood handling and in device development.