Chemistry and Materials Science Seminar: Growing Tiny Membranes into a Rochester-based Enterprise

Chemistry and Materials Science Seminar
Growing Tiny Membranes into a Rochester-based Enterprise

Dr. James C. McGrath
Professor
Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester 

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This seminar may be attended in person in 1174 Gosnell Hall or online via Zoom.

Dr. McGrath will be discussing progress in the basic science of ultrathin nanoporous and microporous membranes, followed by a discussion of two promising applications, as diagnostic tools, and as platforms for the construction of in-vitro models of human tissues.

Abstract:
Abstract: Now more than a decade after we first used silicon microfabrication to create free-standing ultrathin nanoporous membranes, the materials are realizing their potential to impact multiple disciplines. Today, we manufacture and apply a variety of nanoporous and microporous membranes with the common characteristics that they are ultrathin (15 nm - 300 nm) and made from silicon-containing materials. Because these 'nanomembranes' are orders-of-magnitude thinner than conventional membranes, they are orders-of-magnitude more permeable to both diffusing molecules and pressurized flow. Molecular scale thickness also enhances the resolution of separations when the membranes are used as sieves. High permeability and high-resolution sieving, as well as other expected and unexpected characteristics of nanomembranes, have sparked research programs on topics as disparate as hemodialysis and sensing. This talk will briefly review our progress in establishing the basic science of ultrathin nanoporous and microporous membranes. Through modeling and experimentation, we have developed a fundamental understanding of convective and diffusive flows, sieving behavior, fouling, membrane mechanics, and electrokinetic phenomenon. I will then discuss two particularly promising applications of nanomembranes: 1) as tools that enable unique approaches to diagnostics and 2) as platforms for the construction of in vitro models of human tissue. In diagnostic applications, nanomembranes are being used as both pre-filters and concentrators that improve the performance of other sensors, and as digital (’single entity’) detectors. In 'tissue chips,’ nanomembranes are being used to create in vitro models of blood-brain-barriers (BBB) for sepsis and multiple sclerosis, to model tendon healing after injury, and as screens to discover essential genes, and therapeutics to prevent, staphylococcus aureus infection of cortical bone.

Speaker Bio:
Speaker Bio: Professor McGrath holds degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State (BS) and MIT (MS) and earned a PhD in Biological Engineering from Harvard/MIT's Division of Health Sciences and Technology in 1998. He then trained as a Distinguished Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. Since 2001, Professor McGrath has been on the Biomedical Engineering faculty at the University of Rochester where he directed the BME graduate program for over a decade, and served as the Associate Director of the microfabrication and metrology core (URNano). He is a member of UR's Material Science Program, the Biophysics, Structural and Computational Biology program, the Center for Musculoskeletal Research, and the Environmental Health Sciences Center. Professor McGrath leads a highly interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team that develops and applies ultrathin silicon-based, porous membrane technologies to applications ranging from biological 'tissues-chips' to medical and environmental diagnostics. Professor McGrath is a co-founder, current director, and past president of SiMPore Inc., a company founded in 2007 to commercially manufacture silicon nanomembranes. In 2020 he co-founded Parverio, a start-up company developing technologies that surveil the environment for threats to human health, including microplastic in drinking water and viral genomes in waste water. In 2015 Professor McGrath was elected a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He served as the Chairman of the NIH's Instrumentation, Environmental, and Occupational Safety small business study section between 2018 and 2020. He has 12 issued and pending patent and published more than 90 scientific publications.

Intended Audience:
Undergraduates, graduates, experts. Those with interest in the topic.

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