Our research aims to develop cell-free biology as an enabling technology for biomanufacturing life-saving therapeutics, advanced materials, and sustainable chemicals, both quickly and on-demand. Specifically, we focus on designing, constructing, and modifying biological systems involved in protein synthesis and metabolism, with promise to advance new paradigms for synthetic biology.
Our research focuses on the synthesis, characterization, engineering, and simulation of nanostructured materials and systems for photonics, energy, and chemical conversion applications. Our goal is to understand how size, morphology, organization, and surface structure affect the physicochemical properties and behavior of materials over different length, time, and energy scales. Current research topics include: (1) III-nitride … Continued
Small molecules from microbes are used widely in the clinic as antibiotics, anticancer agents, immunosuppressants, and cholesterol-lowering drugs. Our lab focuses on three emerging principles that are changing our understanding of which microbes make natural products, what roles they play in the biology of their producers, and how best to discover them: 1. Small molecules … Continued
My group studies enantioselective chemistry occurring on naturally chiral metal surfaces. These are high Miller index, single-crystalline metal surfaces with no mirror symmetry and, therefore, existing as two enantiomorphs. We first demonstrated that such surfaces are chiral and then that they interact enantiospecifically with chiral adsorbed molecules. These interactions are the basis for enantioselective separations … Continued
My group works on developing single-cell microtechnologies to interrogate functional cellular heterogeneity and inter-cellular signaling network in human health and disease. We developed a microchip technology that permits co-detection of 42 immune effector proteins from single cells, representing the highest multiplexing to date for a single-cell protein secretion assay. This microchip called IsoCode has been … Continued
The research currently underway in our group centers around questions in polymer physics and microfluidic/nanofluidic technologies. On the polymer side, we are particularly interested in understanding the dynamics of DNA in nanochannels with applications towards genome mapping. There is also a growing interest in the group on the thermodynamics of block polymers, largely in collaboration … Continued
My research focuses on the use of inertial fluid dynamic effects for the control, separation, and manipulation of particles and fluids in microfluidic devices. These innovations are key components of new commercial instruments that automate purification and analysis of cell populations to diagnose disease and create new cell-based therapies. My recent work leverages the ability … Continued
Correlation of macroscopic material properties and function with molecular structure and dynamics, particularly in heterogeneous macromolecular solids. Synthesis and characterization of self-assembled inorganic-organic and mesoporous materials for catalysis, separations, electrochemical, and opto-electronic applications. Molecular dynamics and structure in hierarchically ordered polymers, liquid crystals, nanocrystals, and biominerals. Development and application of nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy methods … Continued
The overall objective of the Burdick Laboratory is to design unique biomaterials for a range of biomedical applications. Our work spans fundamental questions related to polymer synthesis and processing through to clinical applications, particularly in the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fields. Our group has pioneered the development of polymeric biomaterials – including electrospun fibers, injectable hydrogels, … Continued
My research focuses on the discovery and understanding of fundamental phenomena in the behavior of complex fluid and materials processing flows a using experimental, computational and theoretical tools developed within his research group. Current projects include design of rheological additives, roll-to-roll graphene transfer and directed self-assembly of nanoparticles.