The Polymers & Peptides Research Group was established at The University of Manchester in 2004 by Profs. Aline F. Miller and Alberto Saiani. The group spans accroos Faculties, Department of Chemical Engineering and Division of Phamracy and Optometry and is based at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB).
|
|
|
|
Prof. Aline F. Miller |
Prof. Alberto Saiani |
|
The University of Manchester |
The University of Manchester |
| Faculty of Science and Engineering | Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health |
| School of Engineering | School of Health Sciences |
|
Department of Chemical Engineering |
Division of Pharmacy and Optometry |
| Manchester Institute of Biotechnology | Manchester Institute of Biotechnology |
 |
|
Research in the
Polymers & Peptides
Research Group is centred around the characterisation of polymer,
biopolymer and peptide materials across the length scales, both in the
bulk and at fluid surfaces. In particular research focuses on the
understanding of the chemical architecture - thermodynamic - structure
- physical property correlations in complex systems to achieve process
and product control.
Over the past 15 years the group has extended its activities into the biomedical field, in particular into the creation of 3-dimensional hydrogel scaffolds by controlling the self-assembly of proteins and de novo designed short peptides for regenerative medical applications. Understanding the self-assembly process has allowed the sophistication of these scaffolds to be enhanced via controlled introduction of functionalisation and responsiveness by conjugating the peptides to pH and temperature responsive polymers.
The work in the field of self-assembling peptide hydrogel (SAPH) scaffolds has led in 2013 in the co-founding by Profs Miller and Saiani of a start-up named PeptiGel Design and subsequently Manchester BIOGEL dedicated to the commercialisation of a family of SAPHs scaffolds for the 3D cell culture market. After 10 years, in 2023, the technology was taken-on by Cell Guidance Systems which now commercialised the SAPH scaffolds as PeptiGels®.
Research Themes:
|
Proteins
& Peptides:
from self assembly to functional
biomaterials |
|
Our group is working towards understanding the fundamental link between building block structure, mesoscopic structure, material properties and cell response of self assembling oligopeptides. This work brings a fundamental understanding of self-assembly and gelation processes that enables effective material design. Consequently we are able to direct the morphology (e.g.: fiber size, porosity, roughness) and mechanical properties (e.g.: modulus, viscosity) of our materials and tailor them to specific application needs. In particular we are elucidating the molecular drivers for ß-sheet forming peptide self-assembly across the length scales by synthesising short peptides with different amino acid sequences to systematically examine the effect of hydrophobicity, charge distribution and amino acid size/type. We are also fully characterising the structure and properties of the functional self-assembled networks and exploring their potential for therapeutic and clinical application. |
|
Example of projects: |
|
Recent publications: Self-assembling peptide hydrogels support stromal vascular fraction viability to promote in vivo nerve regeneration; L.A. McMorrow, S. Llewellyn, J. McSweeney, A. Faroni, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani, A.J. Reid; in Advanced Healthcare Materials, 15:e03987 (2026) Tenascin-c functionalised self-assembling peptide hydrogels for critical-sized bone defect reconstruction; A. Trubert-Paneli, J.A. Williams, J.F.C. Windmill, L.I. Oñarte-Echevarria, E.W. Pringle, T. Rogkoti, S. Dong, A. Cipitria, A.F. Miller, C. Gonzalez-Garcia, A. Saiani, M. Salmeron-Sanchez; Biomaterials, 325, 123553 (2026)
FibrilGen: a Python package for atomistic modelling of peptide β-sheet nanostructures; C.-Y. Yang, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani, R.A. Bryce; Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, 65, 11413-11424 (2025) Effect of C-terminal residue on the phase behaviour and properties of β-sheet forming self-assembling peptide hydrogels; N. Zoghi, C.-Y. Yang, R. Bryce, A.F. Miller and A. Saiani; Biomacromolecules, 26, 7024-7037 (2025) Hydrogel "Affinity Trap" for microRNAs with Self-Assembling Fluorescent "Split-Probe" to Monitor their Expression and Degradation; S. Yousaf, B. Amirloo, H. Aojula; D. Clarke, A. Saiani, A. Irwin; E. Bichenkova; Biomacromolecules, 26, 4595-4611 (2025) Effects of fiber spatial distribution and relative orientation on the percolation and mechanics of stochastic fiber networks: A model of peptide hydrogels; A.H. Namdar, N. Zoghi, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani, and T. Shearer; Physical Review E, 111, 064407 (2025) Modelling Cancer Pathophysiology: Mechanisms and Changes in the Extracellular Matrix During Cancer Initiation and Early Tumour Growth; L.L. Murillo, M. Green, N. Mahon, A. Saiani and O. Tsigkou; Cancers, 17, 1675 (2025) Investigating the co-assembly of amphipathic peptides; Z. Liu, A. Saiani, A.F. Miller; Faraday Discussions, 260, 179 (2025) Effects
of Proline Substitution/Inclusion on the Nanostructure of
Self-assembling β‑Sheet Forming Peptide; J.K.
Wychowaniec, Martin Šrejber, N. Zeng, A.M. Smith, A.F. Miller, M.
Otyepka, A. Saiani;
RSC Advances, 14, 37419 - 37430
(2024) Effect of Supramolecular Peptide Hydrogel Scaffold Charge on HepG2 Viability and Spheroid Formation; Y. Xin, C. Ligorio, M. O’brien, R. Collins, S. Dong, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani, J.E. Gough; Journal of Materials Chemistry B, 12, 12553-12566 (2024) RGD-functionalised self-assembling peptide hydrogel induces a proliferative profile in human osteoblasts in vitro; L.A. Castillo-Díaz, J.E. Gough, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani; Journal of Peptide Science, 31:e3653 (2024) Towards water-resistant, tunable perovskite absorbers using peptide hydrogel additives; T.A. Flavell, F. Aljuaid, D. Zhao, A. Saiani, A. Preobrajenski, A. Generalov, B.F. Spencer, A.S. Walton, A.G. Thomas, W.R. Flavell; ACS Applied Energy Materials, 7, 8376-8390 (2024) Citric acid is more effective than sodium thiosulfate in chelating calcium in a dissolution model of calcinosis; K.A. Burgess, R.E.P. Winpenny, A. Saiani, A.F. Miller, A.L. Herrick, R.E.B. Watson; Scientific Reports 14:30645 (2024) Protocol for the growth and maturation of hiPSC-derived kidney organoids using mechanically defined hydrogels; I. Krupa, N.J. Treacy, S. Clerkin, J.L. Davis, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani, J.K. Wychowaniec, E.G. Reynaud, D.F. Brougham, J. Crean; Current Protocols, 4, e1096 (2024) Effect of peptide-polymer host-guest electrostatic interactions on self-assembling peptide hydrogels structural and mechanical properties and polymer diffusivity; S. Dong, S. Chapman, A. Pluen, S. Richardson, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani; Biomacromolecules, 25, 3628–3641 (2024) Optimising a self-assembling peptide hydrogel as a Matrigel alternative for 3-dimensional mammary epithelial cell culture; E. Lingard, S. Dong, A. Hoyle, E. Appleton, A. Hales, E. Skaria, C. Lawless, I. Taylor-Hearn, S. Saadati, Q. Chu, A.F. Miller, M. Domingos, A. Saiani, J. Swift, A.P. Gilmore; Biomaterials Advances, 213847 (2024) Intracerebral administration of a novel self-assembling peptide hydrogel is safe and supports cell proliferation in experimental intracerebral haemorrhage; F. Bolan; B.R. Dickie, J.R. Cook, J.M. Thomas, E. Pinteaux, S.M. Allan, A. Saiani, C.B. Lawrence; Translational Stroke Research, s12975-023-01189-7 (2023) Evaluation of a synthetic peptide-based bioink (PeptiInk Alpha 1) for in vitro 3D bioprinting of cartilage tissue models; N. Santos-Beato, A.A. Pitsillides, A. Saiani, A.F. Miller, R. Torii, D.M. Kalaskar; International Journal of Bioprinting, 9, 450-465 (2023) Growth and differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived kidney organoids using fully synthetic peptide hydrogels; N.J. Treacy, S. Clerkin, J.L. Davis, C. Kennedy, A.F. Miller, A. Saiani, J.K. Wychowaniec, D.F. Brougham, J. Crean; Bioactive Materials, 21, 142-156 (2023) Hydrogels from the co-assembly of SAA/elastin-inspired peptides reveal non-canonical nanotopology; A. Scelsi, B. Bochicchio, A. M. Smith, A. Laezza, A. Saiani, A. Pepe; Molecules, 27, 7901 (2022) Advancing Our Understanding of the Chronically Denervated Schwann Cell: A Potential Therapeutic Target? L.A. McMorrow, A. Kosalko, D. Robinson, A. Saiani, A.J. Reid, Biomolecules, 12, 1128 (2022) Controlling doxorubicin release from peptide hydrogel through fine-tuning drug-peptide fibre interactions; M.A. Elsawy, J.K. Wychowaniec, L.A. Castillo-Diaz, A.M. Smith, A.F. Miller, A Saiani; Biomacromolecules, 23, 2624-2634 (2022) Self-assembling Peptide Hydrogels as Functional Tools to Tackle Intervertebral Disc Degeneration; C. Ligorio, J.A. Hoyland, A Saiani; Gels, 8, 211 (2022) Substrate Stiffness-Driven Membrane Tension 2 Modulates Vesicular Trafficking via Caveolin‑1; D. Lachowski, C. Matellan, S. Gopal, E. Cortes, B.K. Robinson, A. Saiani, A.F. Miller, M.M. Stevens, A.E. del Río Hernández; ACS Nano, 16, 3, 4322–4337 (2022) Acidic and Basic Self-Assembling Peptide and Peptide-Graphene Oxide Hydrogels: Characterisation and Effect on Encapsulated Nucleus Pulposus Cells; C. Ligorio, A. Vijayaraghavan, J.A. Hoyland, A. Saiani; Acta Biomaterialia, 143, 145-158 (2022)
|
Characterising
and controlling the properties of polymeric materials  |
|
This research work focuses on the characterisation of polymeric materials across the length scales. In particular we are interested in understanding the chemical architecture - thermodynamic - structure - physical property correlations in complex polymeric systems with the aim to control and tailor materials properties to specific applications. This work encompasses a variety of polymeric materials including: polyurethanes elastomers, poly(methyl methacrylate) gels, polyolefin and poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid copolymers. |
|
Example of projects: |
| Recent publications: Sizes effect of the graphene nanoplatelets on the thermal, and tensile properties of the segmented thermoplastics polyurethane nanocomposites; H.Z. Naji, M. Albozahid, Z.K. Alobad, A. Saiani; Composite Interfaces, 10.1080/09276440.2025.2525594 (2025) Thermal, Mechanical, and Morphological Characterisations of Graphene Nanoplatelet/Graphene Oxide/High-Hard-Segment Polyurethane Nanocomposite: A Comparative Study; M. Albozahid, H.Z. Naji, Z.K. Alobad, J. Wychowaniec, A. Saiani; Polymers, 14, 4224 (2022) Synthesis and Characterisation of Hard Copolymer Polyurethane/ Functionalised Graphene Nanocomposites: Investigation of Morphology, Thermal Stability and Rheological Properties; M. Albozahid, H.Z. Naji, Z.K. Alobad, J. Wychowaniec, A. Saiani; Journal of Applied Polymer Science, 139, e53118 (2022) Study on the effect of tailoring the hard copolymer polyurethane on the thermal, mechanical and electrical properties of hard copolymer polyurethane / multi-walledcarbon nanotubes nanocompositess; M. Albozahid, H.Z. Naji, Z.K. Alobad, A. Saiani; Journal of Composite Materials 56, 1467-1480 (2022) TPU nanocomposites tailored by graphene nanoplatelets: the investigation of dispersion approaches and annealing treatment on thermal and mechanical properties; M. Albozahid, H.Z. Naji, Z.K. Alobad, A. Saiani; Polymer Bulletin, Online (2021) Analysis of the Foaming Window for Thermoplastic Polyurethane with Different Hard Segment Contents; M. Santiago-Calvo,H. Naji, V. Bernardo, J. Martín-de León, A. Saiani, F. Villafañe, M.A. Rodriguez-Perez; Polymers, 13, 3143 (2021) Effect of the Molecular Structure of TPU on the Cellular Structure of Nanocellular Polymers Based on PMMA/TPU Blends; I. Sánchez-Calderón, V. Bernardo, M. Santiago-Calvo, H. Naji, A. Saiani, M.A. Rodriguez-Perez; Polymers, 13, 3055 (2021) Enhanced Mechanical, Crystallisation and Thermal Properties of Graphene Flake-filled Polyurethane Nanocomposites: The Impact of Thermal Treatment on the Resulting Microphase-separated Structure; M. Albozahid, H.Z. Naji, Z.K. Alobad, A. Saiani; Journal of Polymer Research, 28, 302 (2021) Effect of OMMT reinforcement on morphology and rheology properties of polyurethane copolymer nanocomposites; M. Albozahid, H.Z. Naji, Z.K. Alobad, A. Saiani; Journal of Elastomers & Plastics, 00952443211006160 (2021) |
Group sponsors (past and present):
________________________________________
Home Publications Group Members Links Contact us
![[]](http://m3.moostik.net/img/?pseudo=umimclssas&option=invisible)
Site