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Biophysical Sciences Institute
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Animate Materials

Animate materials have the potential to transform the world, they could allow us to create materials that grow, self-repair, and even manufacture clothing that can detect illness. Although no truly animate materials have yet been created, these are possible and research within the BSI is at the forefront of this field.

Research into animate materials at Durham spans disciplinary boundaries. Our researchers work collaboratively to develop and study these next generation materials. Image right: Artwork created by Alexandra Carr for the Material Imagination project (https://materialimagination.org/)
Animate Materials Academics
Artwork created by Alexandra Carr for the Material Imagination project

Animate materials don’t merely mimic living systems, as seen in today’s smart materials, they possess some of their properties. To be truly animate a material would be active, adaptive (i.e. can react to external stimuli and self-heal), and would even be able to regulate itself autonomously.

In 2021 the Royal Society commissioned the Animate Materials Perspective publication, which shed light on the research landscape in this field and its potential. An illustration of this huge potential is this short video from the Royal Society (right) featuring the BSI's Dr Margarita Staykova (Durham, Physics).

Our animate materials research falls into three broad areas: Bio-Inspired Design; Materials for Life and, Synthetic Living Interfaces. 

Research Themes

Bio-Inspired Design 

Research in this area utilises our strengths in artificial biology and the development of molecular mimics to build new artificial and semi-artificial systems. These are being studied to give fresh insights into fundamental biological systems and have huge potential for a wide range of applications.

Materials for Life

Fabrication of new artificial and semi-artificial biological systems is resulting in new materials with exciting properties. Our research into the synthesis of these new materials and their properties brings together researchers from across the Departments of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematical Sciences. 

Synthetic Living Interfaces

The study of membranes, bio-interfaces and their behaviour makes use of synthetic interfaces. These systems, containing biological and artificial components, are synthesised within our community. They display some of the properties of living systems and have the potential to be used in the fabrication of new materials with exciting applications such as new therapeutic delivery systems. 

 

Research Highlights

  • Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers

    Dr Margarita Staykova (Durham Physics) and a multidisciplinary team of academics have shown that bacteria enclosed in a simple synthetic vesicle, push out membrane enclosed tubes which propel the vesicle forwards. Image above: Swimming vesicles propelled by bacteria in membrane tubes.
    Swimming vesicles propelled by bacteria in membrane tubes

  • A Biomimetic Liquid-Liquid Interface for Studying Aβ Amyloid Aggregation

    Professors Ritu Kataky and Mark Wilson (Durham Chemistry) have used two immiscible electrolyte solutions as a biomimetic model of the lipid bilayer to study the aggregation behaviour of Aβ amyloids in the presence of Cu(II) ions. Image shows aggregation of peptides at the liquid-liquid interface.
    Image shows aggregation of peptides at a liquid-liquid interface which mimics the phospholipid bilayer.

Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers

Dr Margarita Staykova (Durham Physics) and a multidisciplinary team of academics have shown that bacteria enclosed in a simple synthetic vesicle, push out membrane enclosed tubes which propel the vesicle forwards. Image above: Swimming vesicles propelled by bacteria in membrane tubes.
Swimming vesicles propelled by bacteria in membrane tubes

A Biomimetic Liquid-Liquid Interface for Studying Aβ Amyloid Aggregation

Professors Ritu Kataky and Mark Wilson (Durham Chemistry) have used two immiscible electrolyte solutions as a biomimetic model of the lipid bilayer to study the aggregation behaviour of Aβ amyloids in the presence of Cu(II) ions. Image shows aggregation of peptides at the liquid-liquid interface.
Image shows aggregation of peptides at a liquid-liquid interface which mimics the phospholipid bilayer.
Highlight Publications

Inviting Engagement

Sharing our research goals and outcomes as they emerge, is very important to us. Not only to share accurate information about our research and our enthusiasm for this emerging field, but also to develop new approaches to innovation. We have a programme of activities to foster conversations across communities and disciplines to explore potential ways of applying these new materials and their social and ethical implications.

To engage with a variety of sections of the general public on the topic of animate materials we have been leading on a range of activities. These include a Royal Society of Chemistry funded project between Prof. Steven Cobb (Durham Chemistry) and the Cap-A-Pie theatre company (2022), the IAS funded project Material Imagination project with Dr Margarita Staykova (Durham Physics) as the scientific lead (2020), and a residential art-science summer school planned for 2024.

  • Cap-A-Pie Animate Materials

    A collaboration with the theatre company Cap-A-Pie, funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry has brought performances, workshops and free teaching resources about animate materials to key-stage 2 (upper primary-aged) children across a number of Northeast schools throughout 2022-2023.
    Cap-A-Pie Animate Materials Session

  • IAS Material Imagination

    A 2020 IAS funded project brought together researchers from the physical and social sciences with designers, artists and other stakeholders to develop innovate ways to imagine and apply next-generation materials.
    Artwork created by Alexandra Carr for the Material Imagination project

Cap-A-Pie Animate Materials

A collaboration with the theatre company Cap-A-Pie, funded by the Royal Society of Chemistry has brought performances, workshops and free teaching resources about animate materials to key-stage 2 (upper primary-aged) children across a number of Northeast schools throughout 2022-2023.
Cap-A-Pie Animate Materials Session

IAS Material Imagination

A 2020 IAS funded project brought together researchers from the physical and social sciences with designers, artists and other stakeholders to develop innovate ways to imagine and apply next-generation materials.
Artwork created by Alexandra Carr for the Material Imagination project
Our Research Events

Highlight Publications

Aufderhorst-Roberts, A., Cussons, S., Brockwell, D.J., & Dougan, L., 2023. Diversity of viscoelastic properties of an engineered muscle-inspired protein hydrogel. Soft Matter, 19, 17.

Aufderhorst-Roberts, A., & Staykova, M., 2022. Scratching beyond the surface - minimal actin assemblies as tools to elucidate mechanical reinforcement and shape change. Emerging Topics in Life Sciences, 6, 6.

Freer, M., Darling, N., Goncalves, K., Mills, K.J., & Przyborski, S., 2023. Development of a mammalian neurosensory full-thickness skin equivalent and its application to screen sensitizing stimuli. Bioengineering and Translational Medicine, 8, 3.

Goncalves K.E., Phillips S., Shah D.S.H., Athey D., Przyborski S.A., 2023. Application of biomimetic surfaces and 3D culture technology to study the role of extracellular matrix interactions in neurite outgrowth and inhibition. Biomaterials Advances, 144, 213204. 

Haghighian N., Kataky R., 2023. Rapid fingerprinting of bacterial species using nanocavities created on screen-printed electrodes modified by β-cyclodextrin. Sensors and Diagnostics, 2(5), 5. 

Le Nagard, L., Brown, A.T., Dawson, A., Martinez, V.A., Poon, W.C.K., & Staykova, M., 2022. Encapsulated bacteria deform lipid vesicles into flagellated swimmers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 119, 34.

Stępień P., Świątek S., Robles M.Y.Y., Markiewicz-Mizera J., Balakrishnan D., Inaba-Inoue S., De Vries A.H., Beis K., Marrink S.J., Heddle J.G., 2023. CRAFTing Delivery of Membrane Proteins into Protocells using Nanodiscs. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, 15, 49. 

Silwane, B., Wilson, M., & Kataky, R., 2023. An Electrochemistry and Computational Study at an Electrified Liquid–Liquid Interface for Studying Beta-Amyloid Aggregation. Membranes, 13, 6.

Stupka I., Biela A.P., Piette B., Kowalczyk A., Majsterkiewicz K., Borzęcka-Solarz K., Naskalska A., Heddle J.G., 2023. An artificial protein cage made from a 12-membered ring. Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 12(2), 2. 

Szablewski, M., Thompson, R.L., & Pålsson, L.-., 2022. Modulated Fluorescence in LB Films Based on DADQs—A Potential Sensing Surface? Molecules, 27, 12.

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People

Dr Ander Andershorst-Roberts, Department of Physics

Areas of Expertise: Soft Matter Physics

Research Interests

  • Rheology
  • Microrheology
  • Assembly and Mechanics of Cytoskeletal Networks
  • Biopolymers
  • Hydrogels

 

Dr Alessandro Borghi, Department of Engineering

Area of Expertise: Biomedical Engineering, Biomechanics

Research Interests

  • Biomechanics
  • Finite Element Analysis
  • Biological Tissue Characterisation
  • Biomaterials
  • Medical Image Processing
  • Surgical planning
  • Medical Devices
  • Machine Learning

 

Professor Steven Cobb, Department of Chemistry            

Areas of Expertise: Synthetic Chemistry, Peptoid and Peptide Chemistry

Research Interests

  • Peptide and peptoid chemistry
  • Antimicrobials
  • Anticancer
  • Bio-organic fluorine chemistry

 

Professor Ritu Kataky, Department of Chemistry              

Areas of Expertise: Electrochemistry, Sensors  

Research Interests

  • Developing sensors and biosensors for environmental, clinical and pharmaceutical monitoring
  • Detection and Destruction of Biofilms on soft and hard surfaces

 

Dr Matthew Kitching, Department of Chemistry 

Areas of Expertise: Synthetic Chemistry, Supramolecular Chemistry & Functional Molecules 

Research Interests

  • Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Ammonium Centres
  • Smart droplets

 

Dr Andrew Krause, Department of Mathematical Sciences           

Areas of Expertise: Mathematical and Computational Modelling 

Research Interests

  • Pattern formation in developmental biology 
  • Reaction-diffusion systems 
  • Spatial population dynamics 
  • Nonlinear dynamical systems 

 

Dr Clare Mahon, Department of Chemistry         

Areas of Expertise: Polymer Chemistry, Molecular Recognition, Biological Chemistry 

Research Interests

  • Development of sensors and diagnostics for bacterial disease 
  • Design of polymeric materials for use in biomedicine 
  • Improving understanding of biodegradation 

 

Dr Lars-Olof Pålsson, Department of Chemistry 

Areas of Expertise: Chemical physics, Biophysics 

Research Interests

  • Sensing surfaces based on fluorescent Langmuir-Blodgett films 
  • Electronic energy transfer in photosynthetic systems 

 

Professor Ehmke Pohl, Departments of Biosciences and Chemistry & Nevrargenics

Areas of Expertise: Structural Biology 

Research Interests

  • Viral metagenomics for innovation value 
  • Structure and mechanism of transcriptional regulator proteins 
  • Thermal shift assays for protein crystallography 

 

Professor Stefan Przyborski, Department of Biosciences & Reprocell

Areas of Expertise: Bioengineering Human Tissues, Development and Translation of Advanced Cell Technologies, Cell and Tissue Differentiation in Health and Disease, 3Rs – Developing Alternatives for Animals in Research 

Research Interests

  • Human cell culture and building tissue equivalents 
  • Design and application of cell culture plasticware 
  • Bioreactor development and construction 
  • Device design and prototyping 
  • Cell and tissue differentiation methods 
  • Cell / tissue imaging and molecular analysis 
  • Commercialisation of technology and company development/operation 
  • Working at the industrial interface 

 

Dr Margarita Staykova, Department of Physics  

Areas of Expertise: Biophysics, Biological Membranes, Functional Interfaces, Living Materials 

Research Interests

  • The mechano-sensitive architecture and composition of the cell interface
  • Cell-cell adhesion, encapsulation
  • Bio-hybrid systems
  • Bacterial growth