Protein Design for Multi-material Antifouling Coatings

Summary

Biofouling—the unwanted adhesion of proteins and cells—affects medical devices, biosensors, and implantable materials. To prevent this, surfaces are often coated with hydrophilic polymer brushes, traditionally made from synthetic materials. My research explores an alternative: designing B-M-E proteins that self-assemble into antifouling brushes.

I investigated how these proteins can be adapted to different surfaces, such as gold and polystyrene, and identified the most effective sequences for antifouling. I also developed a method to functionalize these protein coatings using a bio-based tagging system. While some designs required optimization, the best-performing proteins matched synthetic coatings in preventing biofouling.

This research demonstrates that genetically engineered protein coatings could offer a sustainable, tunable alternative to synthetic antifouling materials, with potential applications in medical devices and diagnostics.