Recombinant elastin-mimetic biomaterials: Emerging applications in medicine

Biomaterials derived from protein-based block copolymers are increasingly investigated for potential application in medicine. In particular, recombinant elastin block copolymers provide significant opportunities to modulate material microstructure and can be processed in various forms, including particles, films, gels, and fiber networks. As a consequence, biological and mechanical responses of elastin-based biomaterials are tunable through precise control of block size and amino acid sequence. In this review, the synthesis of a set of elastin-mimetic triblock copolymers and their diverse processing methods for generating material platforms currently applied in medicine will be discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.