Biography and academic profile
Our group is mainly working on synthesis and characterization of several new biomaterials (such as hydrogels, nanocomposites, etc) and aim to apply these materials for biomedical applications. At present we are synthesizing different natural polymeric compound-based hydrogels in combination with inorganic nanofillers. Various natural polymers like starch, cellulose etc. and natural biomaterials like gelatin, agar, bahera etc are explored for this purpose. Physical and chemical modification of both natural biomaterials and fillers is a realistic option to facilitate proper filler-matrix interactive mixing and achievement of desired gel- characteristics. Our lab routinely characterizes gelation and interaction through viscometric measurements and other techniques such as optical microscopy, SEM/TEM, X-ray diffraction, GC-MS, FT-IR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy etc. All these allow us to understand the morphology of gels and nanocomposites. Finally, these hydrogels and nanocomposites are subject to test for their drug release abilities against different cells. We use different microscopic techniques and fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS) measurements to analyze the effects of the delivered drugs. We aim to apply these hydrogels and nanocomposites for tissue engineering applications. Therefore these materials may have clinical as well as commercial applications in future.
