Matson Lab

One photo. So many chapters. 📸
The last lab memory for some, the first of many for others.
Matson lab group picture, Spring 2026.

Congrats to PhD #18, Dr. Clark Vu a.k.a. THE NIGHT OWL of the Matson Lab! It was an absolute delight to have you on our Bottlebrush team all these years. To the one stop BUDDY for everyone in the lab, we shall miss you and wish you all the very best for the future!🥳🥳

We're excited to show off our newest member of the POS crew, Zoe co-advised by @jbmatson.bsky.social and Prof. Adrian Figg! To learn more about Zoe's background and to check out some recent publications from our group head over to our website! matsonlab.com

#VTChemFamily

Happy Holidays from the Matson crew! We had a lovely time last Saturday! Thanks @jbmatson.bsky.social for hosting a great party! ☃️📷

Our undergrad Spencer did a great job at the Undergraduates poster session in the HHS atrium last Friday! We are super proud of his achievements and hard work !!

Structure–property relationships in poly(olefin sulfone) copolymers and terpolymers derived from linear and cyclic alkenes Poly(olefin sulfone)s (POSs), formed via alternating copolymerizations of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and olefins, remain understudied with respect to systematic structure–property relationships. In this wor...

Matson lab is ready to flaunt another brand new publication! Congrats to Isaac and Anna on their brand new paper on poly(olefin sulfone)s in @polymerchem.rsc.org !! We thank NSF Division of Chemistry and semiconductor research corporation for the funding!

pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Matson crew is ready with another brand new group picture!!

We can spot Matson lab members Ishani and Daniela in that picture! HURRAY😍!!

Cellular Uptake and Antioxidant Activity of H2S-Releasing Tetrapeptide Supramolecular Polymer Nanostructures Self-assembled peptide–H2S donor conjugates (PHDCs) can deliver hydrogen sulfide in vitro and in vivo, yet the link between the supramolecular nanostructure morphology and cellular uptake remains unclear. Herein, we designed constitutionally isomeric PHDCs that self-assembled in aqueous solution into either nanoribbons, nanofibers, or nanobelts with various dimensions based on cryogenic transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. Nile-red loaded PHDCs showed morphology-dependent uptake by H9C2 cells based on fluorescence microscopy combined with flow cytometry and confocal imaging, where narrow, helically twisted nanoribbons entered most efficiently. All PHDCs released H2S at similar rates, but the amount of H2S released inside the cells depended on the internalization ability of each PHDC. Consistent with these results, the narrow twisted nanoribbons afforded the greatest protection against H2O2-induced oxidative stress. Overall, this study highlights how subtle molecular-level changes can influence nanostructure formation in supramolecular assemblies and ultimately affect their cellular uptake and biological activities.

Brace yourself World! We have another new publication in hand! Congratulations to our dearest Dr. Zhao, Bushra, Ishani
and Clark for their paper in ACS Material Letters @pubs.acs.org in collaboration with Bitton group from @bengurionuni.bsky.social and Yin Wang! Hurray🥳

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

Congratulations to our Lab Mom Sarah on her recent publication in Biomacromolecules @pubs.acs.org! This paper was published in collaboration with Baker, Moroni and Wieringa groups at @merln-um.bsky.social. We thank @nwofunding.bsky.social for the funding. Cheers to all!

pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/...

We can spot our PI @jbmatson.bsky.social in the picture!!

Localized delivery and retention of hydrogen sulfide causing regional lipid accumulation in mouse adipose tissues in vivo - Communications Biology Locally delivered H2S slow-releasing hydrogel promotes lipid accumulation, adipocyte hypertrophy, macrophage infiltration, and fibrosis in mouse adipose tissue, offering a practical implementation str...

NEW PAPER ALERT!! We are excited to share about our publication in collaboration with Rui Wang's group from York University published in @commsbio.nature.com !! Shout out to all the authors and congratulations to Ishani and Matson lab alumni Kuljeet!

doi.org/10.1038/s420...

Hello Summer!🌞😎

We are delighted to welcome Spencer Kearns over the summer as a part of VT's REU program. Spencer is senior at VT majoring in BS Chem. We look forward to experience some exciting research in polysaccharides from him soon!

We are excited to welcome Lisanne from @polbesenius.bsky.social group at @unimainz-events.bsky.social to work with us over the summer! She will be working on delivery of reactive sulfur species via macromolecular systems in the next few months!

Our undergrads Thomas, Deckland and Alex did a great job at the Undergraduates poster session in the HHS atrium today! We are super proud of their achievements and hard work !!

We would also like to congratulate Narjess from Bitton group for being a co author in this work! Cheers to everybody who contributed towards the project!!

Aqueous Self‐Assembly of Cylindrical and Tapered Bottlebrush Block Copolymers This study explores the self-assembly of amphiphilic tapered bottlebrush block copolymers with cone-shaped architectures using a combination of experiments and simulations. Results revealed two disti...

NEW PAPER ALERT! We are delighted to share our latest publication about Cylindrical and Tapered Bottlebrush Block Copolymers out in @angewandtechemie.bsky.social !! Kudos to Clark Vu for this awesome work in collaboration with Bitton group from @bengurionuni.bsky.social !!
doi.org/10.1002/anie...

Congratulations to our second PhD candidate of the season! Udita passed her candidacy exam yesterday! We look forward to some exciting work from her on reactive sulfur species in near future!🥳🥳

Congratulations to Matson Lab PhD candidate Isaac Addo for winning the Best Poster award at the Virginia Tech Macromolecular Innovation Institute's Technical Conference & Review 2025 last week! We are super proud of you Isaac!

Great first day of the Virginia Tech Macromolecules Innovation Institute #VTMII conference and review - highlighting our Materials in Medicine leaders @jbmatson.bsky.social and @schulzlabvt.bsky.social!

Cheers to the first PhD candidate of the Matson Lab for this season! Congratulations to Isaac on passing his candidacy exams yesterday! We look forward to his exciting works on POS polymers in the coming years!

Sarah and I went to the Netherlands for her 2nd PhD defense! Now she has a PhD jointly awarded from @vtchemdept.bsky.social & @maastrichtu.bsky.social with a diploma the size of a large suitcase to prove it. Her 5 'opponents' put her through the ringer, but she came out victorious. Congrats, Sarah!

Hello Spring!

Congratulations to our Lab Mom Dr. Sarah Swilley for defending her cotutelle PhD from Maastricht University @merln-um.bsky.social under the co-supervision of Matthew Baker. Cheers to the first ever "doctor-squared" of the Matson Lab.🥳

We enjoyed this collaborative work with groups from @vtchemdept.bsky.social and VT ChemE. Thanks to #GlycoMIP for funding and overall organization of our glycomaterials efforts!

Our first post on Bluesky!
Starting off 2025 with a brand new paper in Carbohydrate Polymers in collaboration with Deshmukh Group from VT Chem Eng.! Shoutout to Abby and all other co-authors on this achievement!
doi.org/10.1016/j.ca...