Week 5:
In this phase of our project we are applying the finishing details to our hydrogel design, while also asking neighboring labs for equipment required to measure the release of the protein from our hydrogel. So far we have acquired the sodium Alginate, the calcium chloride, and the fluorescent protein (Albumin Bovine Fluorescein) that we will use to test our hydrogel device. However, due our lead instructor, Dr. Cheng, has informed us that simply altering the concentration of calcium ions present in the solution that forms the hydrogel would not cause a significant difference in the hydrogel's structure. He explains that because our fluorescent protein is macromolecule and how calcium ions can only cause minor changes in the Alginate's structure which would not be able to hold such big, complex molecules as growth factors. So in order to ensure that the hydrogel can incorporate proteins into its structure and hold them for an extended period of time, a new dependent variable was need. One that would allow the hydrogel to actually bind to the protein cargo (Fluorescein) and could adhere to the Alginate in the hydrogel itself. To accomplish this the new dependent variable needed to be slightly, small, polar to be able to interact with the polar hydrogel, positively charged to bind to the negatively charged proteins as well as the negatively charged Alginate, and able to form hydrogen bonds with proteins as a means to strengthen their interactions. The team came to the conclusion that cytidine would be the best solution to this problem as it seemed to meet all of the required criteria, while still remaining the cheapest and most abundant compound to use. Our assisting instructor was even able to get permission from an on campus lab so that we may experiment with the necessary quantities of cytidine for free as soon as we determine which is the most efficient to be incorporated in our hydrogel design. You can read more about cytidine and the different forms we are exploring for our research in the links below!
Charge of Alginate
2-Deoxycytidine Chemical Properties
Cytidine Monophosphate Acid Monohydrate Chemical Propertie
In this phase of our project we are applying the finishing details to our hydrogel design, while also asking neighboring labs for equipment required to measure the release of the protein from our hydrogel. So far we have acquired the sodium Alginate, the calcium chloride, and the fluorescent protein (Albumin Bovine Fluorescein) that we will use to test our hydrogel device. However, due our lead instructor, Dr. Cheng, has informed us that simply altering the concentration of calcium ions present in the solution that forms the hydrogel would not cause a significant difference in the hydrogel's structure. He explains that because our fluorescent protein is macromolecule and how calcium ions can only cause minor changes in the Alginate's structure which would not be able to hold such big, complex molecules as growth factors. So in order to ensure that the hydrogel can incorporate proteins into its structure and hold them for an extended period of time, a new dependent variable was need. One that would allow the hydrogel to actually bind to the protein cargo (Fluorescein) and could adhere to the Alginate in the hydrogel itself. To accomplish this the new dependent variable needed to be slightly, small, polar to be able to interact with the polar hydrogel, positively charged to bind to the negatively charged proteins as well as the negatively charged Alginate, and able to form hydrogen bonds with proteins as a means to strengthen their interactions. The team came to the conclusion that cytidine would be the best solution to this problem as it seemed to meet all of the required criteria, while still remaining the cheapest and most abundant compound to use. Our assisting instructor was even able to get permission from an on campus lab so that we may experiment with the necessary quantities of cytidine for free as soon as we determine which is the most efficient to be incorporated in our hydrogel design. You can read more about cytidine and the different forms we are exploring for our research in the links below!
Charge of Alginate
2-Deoxycytidine Chemical Properties
Cytidine Monophosphate Acid Monohydrate Chemical Propertie
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