Marcus Foston, an associate professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, is one of 20 awardees selected by the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) for this year's exploratory call.
EMSL is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national user facility that supports scientific discovery designed to understand complex biological and environmental systems for sustainable solutions to the nation's energy and environmental challenges.
With EMSL's support, Foston and his collaborator, Fuzhong Zhang, a professor of energy, environmental and chemical engineering at McKelvey Engineering, will develop an understanding of how to redesign and recombine proteins based on protein sequences found in mussel feet. Borrowing mussels' unique ability to stick to just about anything, even when fully submerged in water, the team aims to produce hydrogels with enhanced properties engineered for applications that require underwater adhesives, such as boat repair or surgical glue.
