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Industry/University Center for Biosurfaces (IUCB)
The University at Buffalo (lead institution)
A National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center since 1988
Affiliated Institutions:
- The University of Memphis
- New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
- University of Miami
Understanding, predicting, and controlling the interactions of living and nonliving materials can overcome barriers to next-generation micromechanical and medical manufacturing while improving sanitation in food, air, and water processing
Center Mission and Rationale
The purpose of the Industry/University Center for Biosurfaces (IUCB) is to accomplish the following--
- To understand the interactions of all that is alive with all that is not
- Through such understanding, to predict how living cells interact with synthetic materials, and with other cells
- To control the speed and strength of biological surface interactions for the benefit of personal, public, and environmental health.
The Center's current goals are --
- To extend Center-standardized reference materials and experimental models of biomaterial and particle/tissue interactions for improved environmental health
- To apply useful, regulation-free "active" surface strategies capable of removing biofilms for improved sanitation, cleaning, and infection-control
- To develop new, relevant experimental models for evaluation of lubricity, friction, and wear in biological environments
- To identify new sterilization technologies for synthetic/prosthetic materials that will improve in vivo wear resistance and biocompatibility
Research Program
The Center for Biosurfaces conducts basic and applied research to control interactions of biomaterials and particles with living cell surfaces in medical, dental, and natural environments. The fields of bioengineering and biotechnology, occupational safety, and public health are addressed as toxic or infectious aerosols are detected, collected, and analyzed. The Center's research has led to several commercial nontoxic easy-release environmental coatings and safer medical products. Current Center projects include producing relevant environmental simulations of flowing biofluids (blood, tears, saliva, others) at and near contact surfaces, and documenting fundamental force, structure, and flow features capable of modulating cell attachment/retention at solid/liquid, gas/liquid, and solid/gas interfaces.
Special Center Benefits
The Center's industrial sponsors receive priority attention for applied research needs. The Center has recently completed industrial projects in areas including --
- Surface characterization of metals, ceramics, and plastics
- Surface modification of polymers
- Evaluation of implant biocompatibility
- Prevention of mineral scale
- Development of advanced cleaning processes
- Certification of new sterilization processes
- Control of biofouling.
The Center's cooperating laboratories contain 
state-of-the-art equipment, uniquely applied to biological systems. For example, in addition to field emission scanning electron microscopes, a scanning Auger microprobe, electron spectrometer for chemical analysis, and electron spin resonance spectrometer - tools usually reserved for inorganic specimens and pure physics studies - are among many advanced instruments applied in the Center's biosurface projects.
Center Headquarters
Industry/University Center for Biosurfaces
The University at Buffalo
110 Parker Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214-3007
Tel (716) 829-3560 * Fax (716) 835-4872
http://wings.buffalo.edu/iucb/
Center Executive Director: Dr. Robert E. Baier
baier@acsu.buffalo.edu
Center Evaluator: Mr. Edward Zablocki
(716) 645-3321 * zablocki@acsu.buffalo.edu
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