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My research focus is on biosynthetic materials. Biological materials can have very unique properties such as the toughness of silk proteins, the adhesion of barnacle cement, or the versatility of the extracellular matrix. In our approach we use genetic engineering of proteins that are found in such materials to achieve similar properteis. The engineered proteins are produced in microbes and then assebled into materials. Depending on how we engineer the proteins on the molecular level we can affect how the assembly occurs and what are the final properties of the mateials.

In the future we envision that such materials can replace petrochemically produced ones and in this way we can contribute to a more sustainable society. Biosynthetic materials can also widen the way we look at materials —for example we could use the microbes as living materials in which they are programmed to grow so that they at the same time form materials. They could form into different shapes, have the capability to adapt to their surroundings, or have self-repairing properties.

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