Self-assembling peptides and proteins into dynamic, functional, adhesive, and self-healing structures

Manipulation, spatio-temporal control, and hierarchical order of proteins are major goals for the next generation of functional biomaterials. However, the capacity to accurately control self-assembly of these building-blocks across scales with significant spatial and temporal control is still limited. Here we present a protein/peptide self-assembling system that exhibits hierarchical architecture, controlled assembly capabilities, adhesion to surfaces, self-healing, and the capacity to undergo morphogenesis into complex geometries with high spatio-temporal control. We demonstrate the potential of the system for fabricating bioactive and biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering.