Research Highlights

The BioPACIFIC MIP team has completed the construction and installation of a state-of-the-art transmission electron microscope (TEM) and has made the instrument available to users.

Peptide-mimicking macromolecules with hydrophobic and cationic side chains that can kill bacteria by destabilizing their membranes.

An approach for the controlled synthesis of a homopolymer network using a well-defined cyclopentadiene (Cp) monomer.

Versatile synthetic procedure for preparing mechanically tunable materials using a two-step process of dual cross-linked networks.

Development of a yeast-based platform for high-titer production of the universal monoterpene indole alkaloids (MIA) precursor, strictosidine.

Demonstration of a novel strategy for the scalable synthesis of multiple libraries of discrete lipid poly(ethylene glycol) (DMG-PEG) derivatives, with precise control over the structure and molecular weight.

A high-throughput characterization platform to achieve simultaneous, in situ mapping of time-evolving morphology and micro-rheology in phase separating complex fluids over a large compositional space.

Dr. Sethuraman Panchanathan, Director of the National Science Foundation, recently visited UCLA to meet with students, faculty members, and campus leaders.

A versatile and scalable strategy to separate parent triblock terpolymers into libraries of fractionated samples spanning a wide range of compositions was developed.

The second annual BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School took place in-person, July 17-22.

3D printing resins that generate super-soft, dynamic, and self-healable elastomers.

An overview of recent progress in investigating polymer systems by using Differential Dynamic Microscopy.

New X-ray Facility Brings Synchrotron-level Capabilities to BioPACIFIC MIP

A strategy for making a new class of additive manufacturing resins has been developed. 

A statistical analysis that reduces computational times by 25-120 times in Differential Dynamic Microscopy (DDM), was achieved.

A non-plant biosynthetic pathway that produces olivetolic acid (OA) has been elucidated.

First BioPACIFIC MIP Summer School took place virtually, August 2-5, 2021

The BioPACIFIC MIP Living Biofoundry (LBF) has been installed at UCLA and is now available to users.

Adducts of cyclopentadienone–norbornadiene (CPD–NBD) have been developed and utilized in Diels–Alder based photopatterning of soft materials.

BioPACIFIC MIP Fellowship Awards made to support in-house research at UCSB and UCLA.