Applications of elastin-like polypeptides in tissue engineering

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) have found utility in tissue engineering applications, not only because they are biocompatible, biodegradable, and non-immunogenic, but also because their amino acid sequence and molecular weight can be precisely controlled at the genetic or synthetic level, affording exquisite control over final protein functionality. This review presents a basic overview of ELP properties and modifications that are relevant to tissue engineering, as well as a discussion of the application of ELPs to cartilage, intervertebral disc, vascular graft, liver, ocular, and cell sheet engineering. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.