Tirrell Group

J. Dalton Mitchell

Dalton is from Terre Haute, Indiana and is currently a third-year undergraduate at the University of Chicago pursuing a BS in molecular engineering and a BS in chemistry. In addition to his studies, Dalton is a member of the university’s collegiate swim team. He will be working in the Tirrell Research group as a research assistant under Jeff Ting, aiding in the study of multiblock polymers and polyelectrolyte complexes.

Dalton is currently synthesizing multiblock polymers and polyelectrolyte complexes through the RAFT polymerization technique, a controlled method of polymer formation allowing for accurate preparation of desirable molecular attributes. These assemblies can be used to study the effects of various properties (such as individual monomer polarity, block sizes, and charge density) in preparation of materials libraries geared toward tailorable viscoelastic and thermodynamic properties. Ultimately, the study of these properties could be used to fine-tune specific physical and chemical properties into larger polymer matrices, allowing for a plethora of applications in fields such as tissue engineering, gene therapy, and new biomaterials development.

Harnessing the therapeutic potential of biomacromolecules through intracellular delivery of nucleic acids, peptides and proteins

Yu Tian, Matthew V. Tirrell, James L. LaBelle. "Harnessing the therapeutic potential of biomacromolecules through intracellular delivery of nucleic acids, peptides and proteins". Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2022.

Targeted polyelectrolyte complex micelles treat vascular complications in vivo

Zhengjie Zhou, Chih-Fan Yeh, Michael Mellas, Myung-Jin Oh, Jiayu Zhu, Jin Li, Ru-Ting Huang, Devin L Harrison, Tzu-Pin Shentu, David Wu, Michael Lueckheide, Lauryn Carver, Eun Ji Chung, Lorraine Leon, Kai-Chien Yang, Matthew V Tirrell, Yun Fang. "Targeted polyelectrolyte complex micelles treat vascular complications in vivo", PNAS.

Protein primary structure correlates with calcium oxalate stone matrix preference

Yu Tian, Matthew Tirrell, Carley Davis, Jeffrey A Wesson. "Protein primary structure correlates with calcium oxalate stone matrix preference". Plos One, 2021, e0257515.

Polyampholyte physics: Liquid–liquid phase separation and biological condensates

Dinic, Jelena, Amanda B. Marciel, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Polyampholyte physics: Liquid–liquid phase separation and biological condensates." Current opinion in colloid & interface science 54 (2021): 101457.

Polymersomes Decorated with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain Elicit Robust Humoral and Cellular Immunity

"Polymersomes Decorated with the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein Receptor-Binding Domain Elicit Robust Humoral and Cellular Immunity". ACS Cent. Sci. 2021, 7, 8, 1368-1380.

Advances in the Structural Design of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Alexander E. Marras, Jeffrey M. Ting, Kaden C. Stevens, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Advances in the Structural Design of Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles". J. Phys. Chem. B, 2021, 125, 26, 7076-7089.

Physical Property Scaling Relationships for Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles

Alexander E. Marras, Trinity R. Campagna, Jeffrey R. Vieregg, and Matthew V. Tirrell. "Physical Property Scaling Relationships for Polyelectrolyte Complex Micelles". Macromolecules, 2021, 54, 13, 6585-6594.

Effect of Solvent Quality on the Phase Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Complexes

Lu Li, Artem M Rumyantsev, Samanvaya Srivastava, Siqi Meng, Juan J de Pablo, Matthew V Tirrell. "Effect of Solvent Quality on the Phase Behavior of Polyelectrolyte Complexes", Macromolecules, 2020.

View All Publications