NANO AND MICRO-STRUCTURES OF ELASTIN-LIKE POLYPEPTIDE-BASED MATERIALS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

Elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) containing materials have spurred significant research interest for biomedical applications exploiting their biocompatible, biodegradable and nonimmunogenic nature while maintaining precise control over their chemical structure and functionality through genetic engineering. Physical, mechanical and biological properties of ELPs could be further manipulated using genetic engineering or through conjugation with a variety of chemical moieties. These chemical and physical modifications also achieve interesting micro- and nanostructured ELP-based materials. Here, we review the recent developments during the past decade in the methods to engineer elastin-like materials, available genetic and chemical modification methods and applications of ELP micro and nanostructures in tissue engineering and drug delivery.