Self-assembling peptides as building blocks of functional materials for biomedical applications

Abstract

Self-assembling peptides have been explored as building blocks to construct functional materials that can be used in a broad range of biomedical applications. This account gives an overview of the materials built from biomolecules and summarizes the cell culture and drug delivery applications of nanofibrous and hydrogel materials formed via self-assembly of peptides. The design flexibility of materials composed of calcium ion-responsive peptides, which offer a wide range of applications from cell culture scaffolds to drug releasing devices, is highlighted.