Understanding Protein Behavior Could Lead to Better Medical Implants

Using a technique known as Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), the researchers investigated how proteins attach to surfaces by mimicking the immersion of artificial materials in biological solutions, such as blood or saliva. They then visualized the process and showed that proteins first stick to a surface, and then slide around until they meet each other and join to form clusters. These clusters are also able to slide around, although not as quickly, and can then bond together to create even bigger clusters. This movement results in a surface, which is covered in isolated islands of protein molecules separated by large areas of bare surface. The study was published on February 15, 2008, in the journal Physical Review Letters.

"Our work into the ways in which proteins attach and cluster on solid surfaces will help to develop better biocompatible materials for use in implants,” said lead author Dr. Roger Bennett, Ph.D., of the departments of chemistry and physics. "In contrast to previous ideas, which were based on simple models, our experiments and modeling show the actual behavior of proteins.”

When a foreign material, such as a medical implant, is put into a living organism, then a layer of protein molecules will start to attach and grow on it. The way in which these proteins initially attach to a surface influences how cells then grow, and has implications for the integration or rejection of any implanted material. If proteins were fixed at the first point of attachment, this would then create a very different surface distribution, with different properties, affecting the way the implant interacts with the surrounding tissue.


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