Damia MAWAD
School of Materials Science and Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
damia.mawad@unsw.edu.au
Conjugated Polymers: from Synthesis to Bioelectronic Applications
Abstract
Conjugated polymers are synthetic macromolecules that have demonstrated a broad variety of controlled properties including chemical, optical and electronic characteristics. As such, these conjugated macromolecules are being investigated for a range of applications such as solar cell, biochemical sensors, electronic circuits, and tissue engineering.1,2
Our interest in these polymers lies in the development of synthetic and fabrication designs that address their processability and electronic biostability.3-4 We develop novel conjugated polymers with functional side groups, enabling their processing into active devices that are physically and electronically stable in physiological media. We demonstrate their electrocoupling with the biotic interface through testing in cardiac models, both in vitro and in vivo.5 By modifying the chemistry of conjugated polymers, these macromolecules could be fine-tuned into functional bioelectronic devices, paving the way for the development of soft and flexible bioelectronics with the appropriate architecture, electric stimulation as well as biological cues for tissue regeneration.
Biography
Damia Mawad is an Associate Professor at the School of Materials Science and Engineering, UNSW Australia, where she leads a multidisciplinary research team with the main objective of developing bioelectronic devices that are flexible, fully organic, and wireless. She received her PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UNSW in 2007. She completed her postdoctoral training in international laboratories including the University of Ghent, Belgium, the University of Lyon, France, and the University of Wollongong, Australia. She was awarded in 2013 the Marie Curie International Incoming Fellowship at the Department of Materials, Imperial College London, UK, and in 2018 the Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellowship, University of Bologna, Italy. She has published 78 peer-reviewed papers, delivered >20 invited talks, and continue to attract funds from leading funding agencies such as the Australian Research Council, the Heart Foundation, and the National Health and Medical Research Council.
References
[1] K. Fidanovski, D. Mawad. Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2019, 8, 1900053.
[2] J.G. Hardy, J.Y. Lee, C.E. Schmidt. Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 2013, 24, 847.
[3] J. Hopkins, D. Ta, A. Lauto, C. Baker, J. Daniels, P. Wagner, K.K. Wagner, N. Kirby, C. Cazorla, D.L. Officer, D. Mawad. Adv. Mater. Technol. 2023, 2300777.
[4] L. Travaglini, A.P. Micolich, C. Cazorla, E. Zeglio, A. Lauto, D. Mawad. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 31(4), 2007205.
[5] D. Mawad, C. Mansfield, A. Lauto, et al., Sci. Adv. 2016, 2, e1601007.
