Phase-Separating (poly)Peptides for ECM-Based Targeting and Delivery

Motifs from structural proteins such as collagen, elastin, and resilin exhibit versatile stimuli-responsive behavior that has been exploited in the formulation of hydrogels and nanostructured materials for a range of applications. Their conjugation via chemical methods affords biomaterials with diverse properties responsive to multiple triggers, and select modification of their sequences facilitates nuanced manipulation of their assembly and responsiveness. These materials can be formulated into various nano- and micro-structures that control the retention and release of cargo via biomimetic mechanisms, offering substantial improvement in activity for both small molecule and macromolecular cargo, with potential applications in tissue repair.