Members of the Reineke Group specialize in the synthetic chemical design, molecular characterization, and biological study of novel macromolecules.

Materials chemistry is making a tremendous impact on modern medicine and biological research. We are interested in: (1) the development of novel polymers for the cellular delivery of RNA and DNA for research and therapeutic applications, (2) the design of sustainable polymers from renewable feedstocks with advantageous physical properties, and (3) the preparation of new polymer micelles and excipients platforms for controlled drug delivery.

Studies in these areas are centered both on understanding the fundamental mechanisms involved in biomaterial function and applied clinical use of our compounds for advanced diagnostic and treatment strategies. Our research is highly interdisciplinary and students in the Reineke lab routinely receive training in several areas of chemistry, biology, and medicine.

Students in the lab are active members of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) and Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP). The MRSEC is an interdisciplinary center with over 40 participating faculty members, representing six departments in the College of Science and Engineering. The CSP aims to transform the sustainability of plastics and other macromolecular materials, composed of academic (16 faculty members in Minnesota, UC Berkeley, Cornell, and Waterloo) and 30 industrial affiliates.

We gratefully acknowledge support of our work by the following sources:

NIH Director’s New Innovator Award Program NIGMS	Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation	The Dow Chemical Company	National Science Foundation DMR

U of MN IPRIME	NSF MRSEC	NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers