This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS) program provides $1,500,000.00 to Northwestern University to support research on designing protein-based biomaterials with unprecedented performance. The project aims to (1) develop mussel foot proteins (MFPs) with superior underwater adhesion and (2) create resilin-inspired bioelastomers with high strength while retaining natural mechanical resilience. The researchers will use a directed evolution approach that combines synthetic biology techniques and high-throughput characterization of thousands of protein mutants, informed by simulations and machine learning algorithms. This work seeks to advance predictive modeling, design, synthesis, and testing of next-generation structural biopolymers. The project also includes training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students in materials genome research and educational outreach activities focused on biomaterials design. No sub-awards are planned under this grant, which has an award date of October 1, 2024 and an ultimate completion date of September 30, 2027.
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