Time: 9:30am, 11/14/2014

Place: 207, Kexueguan, Main Campus

Speaker: Prof. Ann-Christine Albertsson, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden

Title of Talk: Design of functional degradable polymers for biomedical- and commercial applications

Abstract of Talk:

The interest for degradable polymers started for about fifty years ago. It was from the beginning looked upon as a final solution to the garbage problem. However, today degradable polymers have also ventured into the biomedical field in applications such as drug release, cancer treatment and gene therapy. This transition has been possible through the advent of more sophisticated structures and properties of the polymers and finalized through careful design of molecular structures with controlled degradation, degradation rates and combined with an understanding of its interaction with the environment. The degradation of a material is dependent on many factors and differs even with small changes in chemical structure or in environment. These understandings will facilitate the attempt to create degradable, cheap and renewable materials for a sustainable society and thus completing the primary vision.

Invited by: Baolin Guo , CBERM