Molecular bionics – engineering biomaterials at the molecular level using biological principles

Abstract

Life and biological units are the result of the supramolecular arrangement of many different types of molecules, all of them combined with exquisite precision to achieve specific functions. Taking inspiration from the design principles of nature allows engineering more efficient and compatible biomaterials. Indeed, bionic (from bion-, unit of life and -ic, like) materials have gained increasing attention in the last decades due to their ability to mimic some of the characteristics of nature systems, such as dynamism, selectivity, or signalling. However, there are still many challenges when it comes to their interaction with the human body, which hinder their further clinical development. Here we review some of the recent progress in the field of molecular bionics with the final aim of providing with design rules to ensure their stability in biological media as well as to engineer novel functionalities which enable navigating the human body.

Recent Advances in Bioplastics: Application and Biodegradation

“…While features of biopolymers such as hydrophilicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, porosity, and non-toxicity make them attractive materials in many biomedical applications; hydrophobicity combined with biocompatibility and non-toxicity could be determinant in some selected applications where hydrophobicity is a key advantage [140][141][142]. On the other hand, the processing of the polymer and the device's design are equally critical for successful tissue engineering applications [143][144][145][146][147].…”

4D imaging of soft matter in liquid water

“…LP EM imaging of samples in liquid have been reported for electrochemical reactions [15, 16], nanocrystal growth [17, 18], whole cells[19, 20], and to-mography reconstruction of particles in liquid state [21]. Soft materials such as micelles and vesicles form in water, or any other selective solvent, as a result of counteracting interactions in-cluding hydrophobic effects, steric hydrophilic interactions, hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions [22]. Such relatively weak forces give rise to highly dynamical assemblies that exist in solution where the solvent plays a critical role in the integrity of such structural assemblies.…”

The rise of bio-inspired polymer compartments responding to pathology-related signals

“…We focus on polymeric compartments because they allow the encapsulation of hydrophilic cargoes, the insertion of hydrophobic molecules, or even the simultaneous encapsulation and insertion thereof. 2,10,28,36,[45][46][47][48] Moreover, the efficacy of polymer compartments can be increased by localizing them via targeting moieties to specific sites in the body. 15,29,45,49 Specifically, we present how polymer biosensors can be tailored to change their properties in response to the presence of stimuli in a bioinspired manner based on the behavior of natural organelles inside cells or cells that respond to specific intracellular or intercellular signals while preserving their integrity.…”