Chemical Engineering

With the astonishing increase in the fi elds of regenerative medicine, biomaterial engineering has become a critical approach to generate biocompatible carriers for cell transplantation. Native ECM materials derived from animal tissues have been considered to be the best choices for cell culture or tissue engineering. However, possible pathogen contamination by cellular remnants from foreign animal tissues is an unavoidable issue that has limited the use of native ECM for human benefi t. Elastin-like proteins (ELPs) are genetically engineered biopolymers consist of the VPGXG pentapeptide, where the guest position X accepts any amino acid except for proline. ELPs are responsible to temperature change; solubilized ELPs associate with each other above a certain transition temperature and form self-assembled coacervates comprising β-spiral structures. ELP are non-toxic to the cells and tissues and are easily biodegradable, and can be processed into various types of formulations such as in situ aggregates, microfi bers, cell sheets, hydrogels, and fusion with growth factors to support diff erent cell types, and thus, their contribution to the repair of cartilage, blood vessels, neurons, and heart is beginning to emerge. Th is presentation highlights the development of the ELP-based recombinant proteins that are being increasingly used for the delivery of chemotherapeutics and, in particular, to provide a cell-friendly ECM environment for cell transplantation.