Self-assembled peptide nanomaterials for biomedical applications: promises and pitfalls

Linlin Sun,1,2 Chunli Zheng,3 Thomas J Webster1,2,4 1Wenzhou Institute of Biomaterials and Engineering, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA; 3Pharmaceutical Research Institute, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China; 4Center of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Abstract: Over the last several decades, a great number of advances have been made in the area of self-assembled supramolecules for regenerative medicine. Such advances have involved the design, preparation, and characterization of brand new self-assembled peptide nanomaterials for a variety of applications. Among all biomolecules considered for self-assembly applications, peptides have attracted a great deal of attention as building blocks for bottom-up fabrication, due to their versatility, ease of manufacturing, low costs, tunable structures, and versatile properties. Herein, some of the more exciting new designs of self-assembled peptides and their associated unique features are reviewed and several promising applications of how self-assembled peptides are advancing drug delivery, tissue engineering, antibacterial therapy, and biosensor device applications are highlighted. Keywords: self-assembly, peptides, biomedical applications, drug delivery, antibacterial therapy, biosensor device