Hi There!
My name is Leopoldo Torres Jr. - I am currently a postdoctoral scientist working for the American Dental Association in the Science and Research Institute Foundation located on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Gaithersburg campus.
Previously, I was a Bioengineering PhD candidate at the University of Maryland (UMD) working for Dr, Peter Kofinas. At UMD, I was a Bridge to the Doctorate, Associate GEM, School of Engineering Future Faculty and NSF GRFP Fellow. I received my B.S. in Bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside and graduated with Tau Beta Pi honors. As an undergraduate and graduate student, I was heavily involved with the Biomedical Engineering Society and the Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers promoting STEM education for students in under-served communities. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, running, climbing and telling dad jokes. I can be reached at torresl [at] ada.org |
Education
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PhD Bioengineering University of Maryland College Park
Advisor: Peter Kofinas BS Bioengineering University of California, Riverside Advisor: Victor GJ Rodgers |
Research Interests
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Protein repellent dental materials, antimicrobial materials, the microbiome, immune response of materials, nano- and microparticle self-assembly
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Service Interest
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Manuscript or Grant Review; STEM Outreach; Science Conference Judging
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Previous Publications
L. Torres Jr, D.R. Bienek. Use of Protein Repellents to Enhance the Antimicrobial Functionality of Quaternary Ammonium Containing Dental Materials. Journal of Functional Biomaterials. 2020.11(3), 54
Link Synopsis: My advisor and I review the advances in the dental material literature pertaining to protein repellency. We discuss the fundamental principles regarding protein adsorption, biofilm formation, protein adsorption characterization techniques, and what the field should investigate in the future. |
L. Torres Jr, A. Margaronis, B. Bellato Meinhardt, L. Granzow, O. B Ayyub, and P. Kofinas. Rapid and Tunable Method To Fabricate Angle-Independent and Transferable Structurally Colored Films. Langmuir 2020, 36, 5, 1252-1257
Link Synopsis: My coworkers and I describe a fast fabrication method to produce structurally colored films. We used a common lab instrument, the centrifuge, to sediment monodisperse silica particles into a colloidal array with short-range order. The mircostructure that forms scatters light proportional to the average distance between particles producing the observed color. Due to the non-crystalline arrangement of the particles, the films exhibit angle-independent color. We found that by altering the centrifuge time and acceleration settings, the color of the films could be tuned. This publication was the first to fully describe how this fabrication method could produce colloidal angle-independent structural color. |
S. Van Belleghem, L. Torres Jr, M. Santoro, A. Wolfand, P. Kofinas, and J.P. Fisher. Hybrid 3D Printing of Synthetic and Cell‐Laden Bioinks for Shape Retaining Soft Tissue Grafts. Advanced Functional Materials. 2019. 30, 3, 1907145
Link Summary: My coworker, Sarah Van Belleghem, was interested in 3D printing a dual material to serve as soft tissue scaffolds that would retain mechanical and shape integrity, while allowing cells to proliferate into degradable pockets within the material. We synthesized a library of different sized crosslinkable synthetic polymers to asses shape and mechanical retention. A physically crosslinked alginate network was used in tandem to allow for printing of the synthetic network. Gelatin was used as a degradable material that cells could remodel and proliferate into. We showed that this printing scheme could produce materials that retained mechanical properties after complete degradation of the gelatin network. |
L. Torres Jr, J. L. Daristotle, O. B. Ayyub, B. M. Bellato Meinhardt, H. Garimella, Artemis Margaronis, S. Seifert, N. M. Bedford, T. J. Woehl, and P. Kofinas. Structurally Colored Protease Responsive Nanoparticle Hydrogels with Degradation-Directed Assembly. Nanoscale. 2019. 11, 17904-17912
Link Synopsis: My coworkers and I describe a degradation-directed assembly mechanism that allows for large volume changes in structurally colored particle-hydrogel composites. This volume change allowed for visible differences in the observed color by the naked eye. We synthesized particles with different surface chemistries to probe how the degradation mechanism functioned. We found that negatively particles aid in a controlled aggregation event as degradation takes place, owing to the large volume and color change. |
J. L. Daristotle, S. T. Zaki, L. W. Lau, L. Torres Jr, A. Zografos, P. Srinivasan, O. B. Ayyub, A. D. Sandler, and P. Kofinas. Improving the Adhesion, Flexibility, and Hemostatic Efficacy of a Polymer Blend Surgical Sealant by Incorporating Silica Particles. Acta Biomaterialia. 2019. 90 , 205-216
Link Synopsis: My coworkers and I investigated particle-polymer composite fibers as a surgical adhesive. The fibers were made by solution blow spinning, a technique that allows for rapid deposition of adhesive onto non-conformal surfaces. By introducing the particles to the polymer, the material was toughened and provided additional physical bonding to tissue. |