Peter Matthew Paul Toribio Fowler

My current research focuses on the efficient extraction, characterization, and functionalization of sulfated polysaccharides from algae to obtain bio-based biomaterials geared towards biomedical applications such as wound healing, scaffolds for tissue engineering, and drug delivery. This project is co-advised by Ulrica Edlund (KTH) and Agneta Richter-Dahlfors (Karolinska Institutet) and is part of ongoing research at the Center for the Advancement of Integrated Medical and Engineering Sciences (AIMES).

I hold bachelor's degrees in chemistry and chemical engineering from Mapúa University in the Philippines, from which I also obtained a master's degree in chemical engineering. I am an Assistant Professor (on study leave) at the School of Chemical, Biological, and Materials Engineering Sciences (CBMES) at the same university and teach courses on physical and organic chemistry, chemical and biochemical process engineering, and biological engineering.

I did my undergraduate research in the Department of Environmental Engineering at the National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan, where I used tools in molecular biology to detect and quantify tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotic genes in anaerobic sludge samples taken from a livestock wastewater treatment facility. This information was then related to physicochemical parameters of the sludge-free anaerobic wastewater to look for trends and provide useful information for future designs of facilities dealing with antibiotic-laden wastewater.

Two years later, I conducted experiments for my master's thesis at the R&D Center for Membrane Technology in Chung Yuan Christian University, also in Taiwan. There I investigated and developed robust procedures for coating highly hydrophobic expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) membranes with copolymers of zwitterionic monomers and dopamine. The coatings produced were found to have better biocompatibility as they resisted the adhesion of blood cells and bacterial cells.

Via the Linnaeus-Palme student exchange program, I was also able to attend one semester as a student in the School of CBH here at KTH. During my stay, I took courses on Metabolic Engienering, Polymer Composites, Molecular Biomedicine, and Glycobiotechnology. I also participated in a research project on the bioproduction of engineered carbohydrate enzymes using Pichia pastoris for later use in the oxidative breakdown of microcrystalline cellulose to obtain nanocellulose particles.