Elastin-like recombinamers as smart drug delivery systems

Abstract

Drug delivery systems that are able to control the release of bioactive molecules and designed to carry drugs to target sites are of particular interest for tissue therapy. Moreover, systems comprising materials that can respond to environmental stimuli and promote self-assembly and higher order supramolecular organization are especially useful in the biomedical field. Suitable biomaterials for this purpose include elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs), a class of proteinaceous polymers bioinspired by natural elastin and designed usingrecombinant technologies. The self-assembly and thermoresponsive behaviour of these systems, along with their biodegradability, biocompatibility and well-defined composition as a result of their tailor-made design, make them particularly attractive for drug delivery.