Bioinspired polymeric materials: in-between proteins and plastics

Chemical and biological researchers are making rapid progress in the design and synthesis of non-natural oligomers and polymers that emulate the prope rties of natural proteins. Whereas molecular biologists are exploring biosy nthetic routes to non-natural proteins with controlled material properties, synthetic polymer chemists are developing bioinspired materials with well- defined chemical and physical properties that function or self-organize acc ording to defined molecular architectures. Bioorganic chemists, on the othe r hand, are developing several new classes of non-natural oligomers that ar e bridging the gap between molecular biology and polymer chemistry. These s ynthetic oligomers have both sidechain and length specificity, and, in some cases, demonstrate capability for folding, self-assembly, and specific bio recognition. Continued active exploration of diverse backbone and sidechain chemistries and connectivities in bioinspired oligomers will offer the pot ential for self-organized materials with greater chemical diversity and bio stability than natural peptides. Taken together, advances in molecular bioe ngineering, polymer chemistry, and bioorganic chemistry are converging towa rds the creation of useful bioinspired materials with defined molecular pro perties.