Engineer Finds Promise in Collaborative Research

Matthew Begley is among a growing community of researchers at the University of Virginia and worldwide that work and think on a scale so tiny that it is not even comprehensible to many of us.

The unifying theme of Begley’s research is to understand and utilize the behavior of materials at the nanoscale.  This means that the phenomena he studies typically occur at scales much smaller than the width of a human hair- which is about 80,000 nanometers. 

Conventional engineers have mastered the microfabrication of a wide variety of hard materials, such as ceramics and metals.  Begley’s work seeks to expand this capability to include organic materials, for new applications in the life sciences.  “The notion is that we can develop similar techniques for soft materials that are biocompatible and responsive to their chemical environment,” he explains.

Begley is an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE) at U.Va., with appointments in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) and Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE).  As is typical of today’s nanoscientists, Begley is involved in a number of collaborative and interdisciplinary research projects.  Some of his recent successes are strongly intertwined with James Landers, professor of chemistry at U.Va.  Landers and Begley are using funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to develop self-contained, fluidic microchips that detect the presence of specific molecules, such as DNA.  The researchers envision the chips as the foundation for handheld devices with the capability of providing inexpensive, portable and rapid analysis.  According to Begley, this “lab on a chip” technology would greatly expand “point-of-care health monitoring.”  Imagine having a biopsy taken and instantly being able to access the results rather than sending the sample to a distant laboratory and waiting days or more to find out if it is benign or malignant; the technology that Begley and Landers are creating could enable this possibility.
 
Begley is also currently working with colleague Michael Reed, professor of electrical and computer engineering and other U.Va. faculty on an NSF Nanotechnology and Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (NIRT) project. This collaboration involves the combination of nanofabrication techniques and biomedicine.  “The central idea is to make porous gold coatings that we can impregnate with drugs,” says Begley.  Applications of this research include the ability to coat stents- devices that are inserted into clogged arteries for the purpose of clearing them- with a thin film of porous gold that is infused with medication.  The goal is to not only to provide localized drug delivery, but also the ability to control the rate at which the drugs are absorbed.  Such a breakthrough could revolutionize the treatment of heart disease.

“U.Va. is establishing a critical mass in soft materials engineering, which includes both devices and   biomaterials such as tissue,” remarks Begley.  He credits Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, James Aylor with investing in a new polymer microfabrication facility, to be located in Wilsdorf Hall.  The new, centralized facility will enable engineers to rapidly build the miniscule devices they are developing in their research.  “The investment by the dean is very strategic,” notes Begley, adding that it will enable U.Va. to establish a “national leadership role in this emerging technology.”  Indeed, U.Va has already made progress in this arena, recently being named among the top 10 universities nationally for its micro- and nanotechnology programs by Small Times magazine.