102nd iCeMS Seminar: Prof. Catherine Picart

Beside events triggered by chemical ligands, mechanical properties of model and natural gels have recently been demonstrated to play an important role on various cellular processes such as adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. Bioactive signals such as growth factors are also important to dictate cell fate. Only few model materials exist that allow a systematic variation of their stiffness and/or bioactivity. Polyacrylamide gels grafted with ECM proteins are probably the most widely used model gels for mechano-sensitivity studies. Within the past 15 years, a new type of highly versatile surface coating has emerged, which is made by the layer-by-layer assembly technique. This technique allows the variation of several parameters with a nanometre scale precision. In our group, we focus on the development of self-assembled films based on extra-cellular matrix polysaccharides and polypeptides as main components, such as hyaluronan and heparin. In this presentation, I will present our recent advances in the development of film with controlled mechanical properties and bioactivity. These films offer a unique opportunity to investigate cellular processes in well defined 2D micro-environments. They also open new avenues in the design of functional coatings for smart biomaterials and in the development of novel strategies in tissue engineering.

Lecturer Title	Prof. Catherine Picart MINATEC, Grenoble Institute of Technology and LMGP (Laboratoire des Matériaux et du Génie Physique) France Title: Layer-by-Layer Films as New Engineered Biomaterial Coatings: Applications to Regenerative Medicine
Date / Time	February 28, 2012 / 16:00-17:00
Venue	2nd floor Seminar Room (#A207), Main Building iCeMS Complex 1, Kyoto University Directions
Flyer	PDF (110KB)
Host	Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University
Co-Host	Center for Frontier Medicine, Global COE Program, Kyoto University
Contact	iCeMS Takano Lab takano-g@icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp