Work is in progress in the following areas:
- Investigating the mechanism of release from polymeric delivery systems with concomitant microstructural analysis and mathematical modeling
- Studying applications of these systems including the development of effective long-term delivery systems for insulin, anti-cancer drugs, growth factors, gene therapy agents and vaccines
- Developing controlled release systems that can be magnetically, ultrasonically, or enzymatically triggered to increase release rates
- Synthesizing new biodegradable polymeric delivery systems which will ultimately be absorbed by the body
- Creating new approaches for delivering drugs such as proteins and genes across complex barriers in the body such as the blood-brain barrier, the intestine, the lung and the skin
- Researching new ways to create tissue and organs including creating new polymer systems for tissue engineering
- Stem cell research including controlling growth and differentiation
- Creating new biomaterials with shape memory or surface switching properties
- Angiogenesis inhibition