Bio-inspired Protein-Based and Activatable Adhesion Systems

Abstract

Adhesives are in general chemically or physically sticky substances used to join surfaces. In case of gluing biological and living substrates, there is a need for bioadhesives that meet requirements such as biocompatibility, non-toxicity, and degradability. Inspiration for bioadhesives is found in nature, where distinct mussels, sandcastle worms, barnacles, caddisfly larvae, spiders, and glowworms amongst others, use mainly protein-based glues for various purposes. There is a great selection of reviews and books covering the use of various bioadhesives in various applications, but here the focus lies on advances in the development of bio-inspired protein-based adhesives for biomedical applications.