Biomolecules in Vicinity of Interfaces

Biological therapeutic drugs employ antibodies to treat a variety of conditions such as autoimmune disorders. However, as surface active molecules, proteins exhibit the tendency to adsorb onto the interface and undergo phase changes upon adsorption. The aggregate formation at the interface limits the efficacy of the drug, if not destroying its usefulness altogether. Therefore, the ability to mitigate or direct this assembly behavior is of significant practical interest. To address this issue, surfactants are incorporated in the protein solutions in order to inhibit the adsorption of proteins to interfaces. We are studying the effects of surfactant characteristics on the protein adsorption mechanics and rheology of the resulting interfacial films.    

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