Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
5
Self
-
Assembled Peptide Nanostructures
for Biomedical Applications:
Advantages and Challenges
Jaime Castillo-León, Karsten B. Andersen and Winnie E. Svendsen
DTU Nanotech, Technical University of Denmark,
Denmark
1. Introduction
Over the last 20 years, self-assembled nanostructures based on peptides have been
investigated and presented as biomaterials with an impressive potential to be used in
different bionanotechnological applications such as sensors, drug delivery systems,
bioelectronics, tissue reparation, among others. Several advantages (mild synthesis
conditions, relatively simple functionalization, low-cost and fast synthesis) confirm the
promise of these biological nanostructures as excellent candidates for such uses.
Through self-assembly, peptides can give rise to a range of well-defined nanostructures
such as nanotubes, nanofibers, nanoparticles, nanotapes, gels and nanorods. However,
there are several challenges that have yet to be extensively approached and solved. Issues
like controlling the size during synthesis, the stability in liquid environments and
manipulation have to be confronted when trying to integrate these nanostructures in the
development of sensing devices or drug-delivery systems. The fact that these issues
present difficulties is reflected in the low number of devices or systems using this material
in real applications.
The present chapter discusses these challenges and presents possible solutions. A review of
the state-of-the-art work concerning the use of peptide self-assembled structures in
biomedical applications is given. Additionally, our findings regarding the on-chip synthesis
of peptide self-assembled nanotubes and nanoparticles, their controlled manipulation, as
well as electrical and structural characterizations are introduced. Our latest results showing
the interaction of peptide self-assembled structures with cells for the development of a
combined sensing/cell culture platform and the use of these material in clean-room
processes together with the stability of the biological structures in liquid are also presented.
2. Peptide nanostructures formed by self-assembly
The field of biological self-assembly is very diverse and the structures formed can vary
tremendously in both shape and size. For this reason, a full description of all possible self-
assembled structures and the monomers forming them is beyond the scope of this chapter.
Rather, the focus will be on the applications and challenges that one needs to be aware of
when working with such structures. For this, it is important to have a certain understanding
