Journal of Biotechnology & Biomaterials
Open Access

Abstract

Elastin-like recombinamers, ELRs, are a class of polymeric material whose composition is bioinspired in natural elastin and obtained by recombinant DNA technologies. Their tailor made design allows to include, with a complete sequence control, both functional groups and bioactive domains specifically for each application. These biomaterials are characterized by their biocompatibility, biodegradability, stimuli responsiveness, self-assembly and excellent mechanical properties. Their thermoresponsiveness has allowed us to obtain nanoparticles like nanovesicles for tuberculosis vaccine from elastin-like block core combinamers. Other nanostructures for intracellular gene delivery applications, design from ELRs and aptamers, are polyplexes that protect therapeutic DNA and act as non-viral cell type specific vectors in breast cancer therapy. Drug controlled release has been also tackled by elastin-based hydrogels formed from thermogelificable ELRs for glaucoma treatment. Their adequate mechanical properties have allowed them to have been electrospun to form fibers and micropatterned to give hydrogels with different and reliable topographies, necessary for the study of cell behavior, with proved moldability. Moreover, ELRs biofunctionalized surfaces are especially useful for implant biocompatibility and, as smart surfaces, for cell and cell-sheet harvesting once exploiting their self organized nanostructure with temperature that makes these thermoresponsive surfaces to switch between cell adherent and non adherent states to be applied as a reliable way to harvest different cell lines. Chemically crosslinked ELRs hydrogels have been obtained by clean, fast and atom economy click methodology, and in vitro assays for cellular adhesion and proliferation with different cell lines confirm their viability and bioactivity. ELRs hydrogels have been used for different biomedical applications as implant recoveries or as injectable hydrogels at physiological conditions. Within the field of tissue engineering, they have been applied for cartilage regeneration or for osteochondral bone tissue defects repairing.

Biography

Email: msantos@bioforge.uva.es