Recombinant elastin-mimetic biomaterials: Emerging applications in medicine

Abstract

Biomaterials derived from protein-based block copolymers are increasingly investigated for potential application in medicine. In particular, recombinant elastin block copolymers provide significant opportunities to modulate material microstructure and can be processed in various forms, including particles, films, gels, and fiber networks. As a consequence, biological and mechanical responses of elastin-based biomaterials are tunable through precise control of block size and amino acid sequence. In this review, the synthesis of a set of elastin-mimetic triblock copolymers and their diverse processing methods for generating material platforms currently applied in medicine will be discussed.

An injectable elastin-based gene delivery platform for dose-dependent modulation of angiogenesis and inflammation for critical limb ischemia

“…Recently, elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) has been used to fabricate hollow micro-spheres of a gene delivery depot [19]. ELP is used for various biomedical applications due to its biodegradable, non-toxic, noninflammatory properties and efficient pharmacokinetics for the delivery of therapeutics [20,21].…”

Rational design of fiber forming supramolecular structures

“…25 The reader is directed to the following reviews for more details. 29,[149][150][151] These synthetic elastin matrices, oftentimes combined with synthetic collagen matrices, have been used to recapitulate features of the ECM in applications for tissue repair, [152][153][154][155][156] drug delivery, 29,157,158 and materials with tunable material properties. 150,154,[159][160][161] …”

“…17 Thermodynamic, entropic, and stereochemical factors guide non-covalent self-assembly of supramolecular structures that dictate mechanical and biological functionality. 3,[25][26][27] Ranging from alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids that create facial ampiphiles [28][29][30] to Xxx-Yyy-Gly sequences that predispose a-helix formation, nature has evolved a set of rules that govern arrangement at the molecular, nano, micro, meso, and macroscales. [31][32][33] The rational design of fiber forming biologically inspired materials, requires an understanding of these interactions for directed molecular self-assembly.…”

Polymerization of Peptide Polymers for Biomaterial Applications

“…Polypeptides such as collagen, elastin, and silk, are currently being sought as nextgeneration biomaterials (Table 2). [23][24][25][26][27][28] Collagen, a major constituent of bone, cartilage, tendon, skin and muscle, are the most abundant proteins in the human body. [29] Several different types of collagen have been identified; these proteins are distinguished by their triple-helical structure.…”