Past and future solid-state NMR spectroscopy studies at the convergence point between biology and materials research

Many cellular events involve attachment of proteins to the surfaces of rigid or semi-rigid solid materials, such as the inorganic materials in the extracellular matrix of hard tissue, and the macromolecular scaffolds made of actin and tubulin filaments in the cytoskeleton. Understanding these processes on a fundamental level will have farreaching repercussions for the design of biomaterials, biomedical research, and biomineralization. Numerous studies have reported structural changes experienced by proteins as they adhere to surfaces, yet there are only a few examples in which detailed views of protein conformation and alignment on surfaces were measured. Modern multidimensional solid-state NMR spectroscopy is timely situated to unveil molecular details of these processes and shed light on many fundamental questions related to recognition of surfaces by biomolecules. Targeting these questions is currently at the focal point of many research fields and can lead to insights and breakthroughs in biotechnology and in biomimetic material design.