Seafaring Northwestern students can rejoice: The sticky, stubborn mussels that cling to boats have caused something other than disgruntled rudder scrubbing.
The gluelike feet of these mollusks were the inspiration for a new adhesive coating developed by NU professor Phillip Messersmith. The coating, made of a chain of dopamine molecules, was successfully applied to 25 surfaces. It can be used as a base surface for surgical and industrial coatings normally resistant to adhesion, such as Teflon.
Messersmith said the coating could also be used to cultivate stem cells, which are often difficult to procure.
“The biggest hurdle of stem cell cultivation is not getting enough cells,” Messersmith said. “The process is costly, and often painful for the patient. Taking a small number of cells and expanding them requires a surface to cultivate them on.”
Messersmith’s polymer coating can provide the surface, he said, increasing a 100,000 cell sample to 1 million cells.
Outside of the medical realm, the coating can be a base for a second coating, such as silver.
“(The polymer coating) can be a base for shiny or conductive metal coatings on surfaces,” Messersmith explained.
The process is especially valuable because it can be performed at room temperature with inexpensive, accessible ingredients, making replication of the reaction simple. It also can be used underwater, which is convenient for medical and biological applications.
Messersmith, who has a Ph.D. in material science and engineering, completed his undergraduate work in biological sciences at the University of Illinois.
“I often do my research from a mixed background,” Messersmith said. “I take a biological perspective.”
The researcher’s “biological perspective” launched eight years of scientific research and Nerites, a surgical adhesive company based in Madison, Wis.
Messersmith serves as a board member and chief scientific advisor to the company, which was founded 2 1/2 years ago.
Messersmith collaborated with two McCormick graduate students, Shara Dellatore and Haeshin Lee, as well as NU professor William Miller, to present the group’s findings in “Mussel-Inspired Surface Chemistry for Multifunctional Coatings” in the journal Science on Oct. 19.
Dellatore, who plans to pursue a career in pharmaceuticals, said NU provides an environment especially conducive to collaborative research.
“I’ve felt really comfortable here,” she said. “There’s a lot of collaboration going on within and across departments. It’s a really good environment.”
Dellatore said Messersmith encouraged exploration and creativity.
“He has really good ideas and lets you run with an idea,” she said. “He’s really supportive and accessible.”
Reach Sara Peck at [email protected]
