What they found

Comprehensive review of molecular self-assembly strategies for novel biomaterials, covering both top-down and bottom-up approaches. Covers RADA16 and EAK16 as the canonical ionic self-complementary SAPs, lipid-like peptides, and rotaxanes/dendrimers. Describes chemical complementarity (charge pairing, hydrophobic matching) and structural compatibility as the two design rules. Review of 3D scaffold applications in cell culture, drug delivery, tissue engineering. Nat Biotechnol 21:1171–1178.

How this applies to h09

Most useful as a citation anchor for RADA16’s design principles and the claim that the scaffold is a biomaterial platform. Does not provide precise fibril geometry numbers beyond what the original papers report. The two design rules (chemical complementarity + structural compatibility) are directly relevant to asking whether attaching a 118 aa WH2-containing tail violates the structural compatibility requirement — large disordered appendages increase configurational entropy at the beta-sheet surface and are likely to disrupt packing at high molar fraction.

Key numbers

  • RADA16: ionic self-complementary, 50% charged residues, alternating hydrophobic/hydrophilic
  • 3D scaffold pore size consistent with earlier papers: 50–200 nm
  • Design rule: >50% sequence must be the self-assembling core to preserve assembly

Connections