Soft Matter for Biomedical Applications
Chapter 9: Elastin-like Recombinamers (ELRs) for Biomedical Applications
-
Published:07 Jun 2021
-
Special Collection: 2021 ebook collectionSeries: Soft Matter Series
I. González de Torre, M. González-Pérez, M. Alonso, and J. C. Rodríguez-Cabello, in Soft Matter for Biomedical Applications, ed. H. S. Azevedo, J. F. Mano, and J. Borges, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021, ch. 9, pp. 205-235.
Download citation file:
Elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs) are genetically engineered peptides that offer huge possibilities in terms of both their design and applications. As such, they have attracted the attention of numerous researchers recently due to their unique features as biomaterials for biomedical applications. In this chapter, we will explain what ELRs are, summarizing the main features and possibilities that ELRs offer for biomedical applications. The main forms in which ELRs are processed (coacervates, nanoparticles, hydrogels, fibers and others) will be explored and we will focus our attention on the main applications of each. Finally, a brief discussion of their future perspectives will outline the challenges that ELRs must overcome in the near future.