Probing the interaction and potential toxicity of porous materials

The Dhar Lab studies molecular interactions at interfaces that occur in pharmaceutical and biological systems. She focuses primarily on the mechanical and morphological changes in lipid-protein mixtures due to interactions with various porous materials, such as toxic materials that lead to bronchial dysfunction in the lungs.   The Allgeier Lab studies adsorption phenomena utilizing time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements and other techniques.  Using biophysical and analytical techniques unique to both labs (such as an interfacial viscosity measurement device coupled to a fluorescence microscopy, high resolution imaging techniques such as AFM, and low-field NMR), students will measure changes in model membrane structures when they interact with porous materials. Projects will study the impact of soft vs. hard porous materials on biological systems, particularly cell membranes, in an effort to access the cytotoxicity of these novel materials.

Students will learn about and personally utilize advanced scientific instrumentation including biophysical tools such as a Langmuir trough, custom designed to be coupled with fluorescence microscopy and a low-field NMR to characterize porous material interactions with biomolecules. Further, they will learn to (a) to interpret data, elucidating the basics of biomolecule / porous particle interactions (b) the significance of health impacts of our studies and (c) fundamentals of both biomedical and chemical engineering fields where concepts learned in their coursework will be applied in a research setting (e.g. thermodynamics, fluid mechanics).