AXB.wmvBioinspired Self-assembly of Functional Materials in Water 
The focus of our research efforts is the design, synthesis and characterization of bio-inorganic materials that have useful biomedical applications. In particular, we are involved in the rational design and execution of multistep synthetic schemes that affort supramolecular materials with DNA-delivery properties. This area is of high importance because the efficient delivery of genetic material into the nuclei of appropriate cells is one of the greatest challenges in gene-based medicine such as those proposed in Gene-Vaccines therapy. This process implies the encapsulation and cell-selective delivery of large segments of DNA, and materials with these abilities will have applications in the fight against viral diseases or infections of great concern. To characterize the molecular and supramolecular structures, we carry out High-Energy X-ray experiments such as Extended X-ray Absorbace Fine Structure spectroscopy (EXAFS) at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL), X-ray crystallography, Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS). Currently, we have developed a new material that efficiently delivers large DNA fragments containing genetic information into the nucleous of mammalian cells. Since this new material may also have adjuvant properties, we working with faculty from the Public Health Department at UTEP to carry out in-vivo experiments with mice to assess this property.  

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