Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry
Schulz Lab @SchulzLabVT
Program Focus
The Schulz Group focuses using the tools of polymer chemistry to address challenges in the biology and medicine. Specific projects include:
Antiviral Polymers: We are synthesizing sialic acid-containing polymers and studying their interactions with influenza viruses. This project builds on the long-recognized concept of polyvalency in antiviral agents, and addresses a number of fundamental, un-answered questions regarding our current understanding of the way polymers interact with viruses.
Materials for Toxin Sequestration: Clostridium difficile (C. diff.) bacteria are ubiquitous in nature and infections spread rapidly in hospitals and nursing homes. In this project we are synthesizing materials capable of capturing and removing the toxins produced by C. diff. in the gut.
Radiotherapy-enhancing materials: We are developing materials that can improve the efficacy of radiotherapy without significantly altering current procedures. This project encompasses multiple approaches with an initial focus on radiosensitizing materials and radiation-responsive materials for targeted, synergistic drug delivery.
Chemotherapy Capture Devices: The adverse side-effects of chemotherapy are a notorious problem in the treatment of cancer. One approach to mitigating this off-target damage involves directly administering chemotherapy to the tumor site via catheter; however, excess drug still enters systemic circulation. We are developing a device that can be deployed downstream from the site of administration to capture this excess drug before it enters systemic circulation and causes off-target damage.
Selected Publications
Selected Publications:
Archer, W. R., Hall, B. A., Thompson, T. N., Wadsworth, O. J., Schulz, M. D. “Polymer sequestrants for biological and environmental applications” Polymer International 2019 DOI: 10.1002/pi.5774 (in press)
Blumenfeld, C.*; Schulz, M. D.*; Aboian, M.; Wilson, M.; Moore, T.; Hetts, S.; Grubbs, R. “Drug capture materials based on genomic DNA functionalized magnetic nanoparticles” Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 2870. (*indicates equal contribution)
Yee, D.*, Schulz, M. D.*, Grubbs, R. H., Greer, J. “Functionalized 3D architected materials via thiol-Michael addition and two-photon lithography” Adv. Mater. 2017, 29, 1605293. (*indicates equal contribution)
Popwell, S., Schulz, M. D., Wagener, K. B., Batich, C. D., Milner, R. J., Lagmay, J., Bolch, W. E. “Synthesis of Polymeric Phosphonates for Selective Delivery of Radionuclides to Oseosarcoma” Cancer Biotherapy & Radiopharmaceutics 2014, 29, 273-282.
Schulz, M. D., Wagener, K. B. “Precision Polymers through ADMET Chemistry” Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics 2014, 215, 1936-1945.