PROBIOMAT Tailored protein biomaterials

Prof. Aitziber López-Cortajarena

Funding : Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación. BIO. 2012-34835

Duration: 2013 - 2015

36 months

The precise synthesis of materials with tailored properties it is a requisite for their use in nanotechnology and medicine. Bottom-up self-assembly that relies on molecular interactions of small defined components, is an attractive approach for biomaterial design and nanostructure templating. In this project we use self-assembling proteins to generate templates for nanofabrication and biomaterials. We aim to rationally assemble biocompatible functional materials by the combination of simple protein building blocks with specified properties. In order to develop rational approaches for the design of complex nanostructures, we will define sequence-structure-assembly relationships for model designed repeat protein. We will then synthesize new protein molecules with unique assembly properties to generate higher order structures with desired properties and geometries. This project is based on the deep molecular understanding of the components in order to combine them to generate nanostructures with defined properties.

Fig 1. Schematic representation of bottom-up approach for engineering novel functional assemblies.