Designed Electroresponsive Biomaterials: Sequence-Controlled Behavior
Abstract
Electrical control of biological molecules has the potential to impact technologies including biological and chemical sensing, environmental monitoring, protective films, and drug delivery. The original vision for this work was to employ combinatorial tools such as phage and yeast display under electrical selection pressure to identify peptide sequences that respond to a particular electric field or potential by releasing from a material surface. Alternatively, through the application of a different design pressure, peptides that only bind to a particular material when an electric field is applied could be isolated. With peptides that are both material specific and field controllable it would be possible to control spatially peptide deposition and desorption using an electric stimulus. Electro-responsive peptides could be used to link drugs to an array of electrodes enabling controlled delivery of the drug through the electro-release of the peptide-drug complex. For many sensor applications, the underlying electronics are intricate and expensive. Electro-responsive linkers could yield the ability to rapidly reconfigure a sensor system for a new target or to regenerate a saturated sensor by simply releasing old sensing molecules from the surface and incubating with fresh active species. Currently, many paint and coating technologies for metal surfaces require toxic, flammable solvents to remove the coating. An electro-releasing peptide could mediate the adhesion of coatings, which, under regular conditions, adhere well to a surface but can be removed rapidly using an electric field.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 29, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA533811
Entities
People
- Angela M. Belcher
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology