Prof. Dorothea Brüggemann
Prof Brüggemann research focus is on synthetic ECM systems from protein and polysaccharide nanofibres. We have developed a novel extrusion approach through alumina nanopores to prepare synthetic ECM scaffolds from various biopolymer nanofibres. The morphology and nanotopography of these nanofibre assemblies is analysed with electron microscopy. Currently, we explore how the composition of such novel protein composites can be adjusted on the nanoscale and how the hierarchical fibre assembly can be controlled on a microscopic level. The biological functionality of our extruded nanofibres is studied in cell culture test systems and molecular binding experiments, for instance using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring. With these synthetic ECM scaffolds we aim at a precise control of cellular functions like cell adhesion, proliferation and alignment, which we monitor with fluorescence microscopy.