Mata Research

We develop innovative and accessible biomaterial technologies

that can help overcome major challenges in regenerative medicine, improve the way drugs and therapies are developed and advance our understanding of key biological processes and disease.

We are an interdisciplinary and creative group

working at the interface of materials science, chemistry, biology, bioengineering, and medicine to develop technologies that bridge the gap between molecular design, multi-scale functionality, and societal impact.

To achieve this, we operate by connecting science, engineering, and the clinic.

Selected Publications

Co-Assembly, spatiotemporal control and morphogenesis of a hybrid protein-peptide system

Inostroza-Brito et al.

Nature Chemistry 2015, 10.1038/nchem.2349

Protein disorder-order interplay to guide the growth of hierarchical mineralized structures

Elsharkawy et al.

Nature Communications 2018, 10.1038/s41467-018-04319-0

Peptide-protein co-assembling matrices as a biomimetic 3D model of ovarian cancer

Hedegaard et al.

Science Advances 2020, 10.1126/sciadv.abb3298

Disordered protein-graphene oxide co-assembly and supramolecular biofabrication of functional fluidic devices

Wu et al.

Nature Communications 2020, 10.1038/s41467-020-14716-z

Bioengineered 3D models of human pancreatic cancer recapitulate in vivo tumour biology

Osuna de la Peña et al.

Nature Communications 2021, 10.1038 / s41467-021-25921-9

De novo design of functional co-assembling organic-inorganic hydrogels for hierarchical mineralization and neovascularization

Okesola et al.

ACS Nano 2021, 10.1021/acsnano.0c09814

"It always seems impossible until it’s done”

Nelson Mandela