Self-assembling biomolecules for biosensor applications

Abstract

Molecular self-assembly has received considerable attention in biomedical fields as a simple and effective method for developing biomolecular nanostructures. Self-assembled nanostructures can exhibit high binding affinity and selectivity by displaying multiple ligands/receptors on their surface. In addition, the use of supramolecular structure change upon binding is an intriguing approach to generate binding signal. Therefore, many self-assembled nanostructure-based biosensors have been developed over the past decades, using various biomolecules (e.g., peptides, DNA, RNA, lipids) and their combinations with non-biological substances. In this review, we provide an overview of recent developments in the design and fabrication of self-assembling biomolecules for biosensing. Furthermore, we discuss representative electrochemical biosensing platforms which convert the biochemical reactions of those biomolecules into electrical signals (e.g., voltage, ampere, potential difference, impedance) to contribute to detect targets. This paper also highlights the successful outcomes of self-assembling biomolecules in biosensor applications and discusses the challenges that this promising technology needs to overcome for more widespread use. Graphical Abstract

The development of nanocarriers for natural products

“…Self-assembly is a process in which molecules spontaneously form ordered structures through non-covalent interactions, such as hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic forces, Van der Waals forces, and electrostatic interactions (J.-E. Kim, Kang, et al, 2023;Z. Zhang et al, 2012).…”

Design and Function of α-Helix-Rich, Heme-Binding Peptide Materials

“…Self-assembled peptides represent a class of polymeric materials that are highly programmable due to the unique characteristics of each monomeric building block, the 20 canonical amino acids. − While success has been achieved in many areas like regenerative medicine, drug delivery, and biosensing, there is also an excellent prospect for implementing peptide materials in addressing our world's energy concerns . Efforts toward a circular economy in developing new highly biodegradable materials, selective capture of rare earth elements, novel catalysts, and solar energy conversion represent a few of these areas in which progress is being made.…”