Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Medical devices such as vascular grafts, stents, and catheters are crucial for patient treatment but often suffer suboptimal integration with host tissues due to the nature of their surfaces. The materials commonly used, including metals and synthetic polymers, frequently lead to undesired immune responses and device failure. In this context, coating their surfaces with designer proteins has arisen as a promising strategy to improve the device's biointegration. Here, we present a bioinspired method for coating biomaterial surfaces with protein-engineered polymers designed to mimic tailored functions from the native extracellular matrix (ECM). Combining mussel-inspired catechol chemistry with bioorthogonal click chemistry, we developed a modular grafting method for the surface functionalization of metallic and polymeric implants using a bifunctional peptide containing azide and DOPA (3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) groups. This simple dip-coating process enabled the fabrication of bioactive elastin-like coatings with precise peptide presentation. The results reveal enhanced bioactivity and cytocompatibility, as evidenced by improved endothelial cell adhesion, proliferation, and heparin-binding capacity on coated surfaces. The versatility and effectiveness of this bioorthogonal coating method suggest significant potential for creating implant surfaces tailored to diverse clinical applications.
Institutions: Universidad de Valladolid, Biomedical Research Networking Center in Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, RWTH Aachen University, DWI – Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
Language: English
Subfield: Surfaces, Coatings and Films
Field: Materials Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,500
Funders: Centres de Recerca de Catalunya, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Generalitat de Catalunya, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina, RWTH Aachen University, Consejería de Educación, Junta de Castilla y León, Junta de Castilla y León, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia celular de Castilla y León, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, HORIZON EUROPE Digital, Industry and Space
Awards: G1363958350, G1508135929, G1519758885, G1622782223, G3480869486, G3844497849, G3993834804, G4442677895, G4526231891, Bioinspirierte materialgetriebene Textilien für kardiovaskuläre Implantate, G4820502543, Modellregion, Bio4MatPro: BoostLab 4-5 - Heart 2.0, Aktives Grenzflächensystem für Kunstherzen, TP 2, G5292505118, Modellregion, Bio4MatPro: BoostLab 4-4 - AntiBacCat, Bioinspirierte antimikrobielle Beschichtung für Venenkatheter, TP A, G6039992719, G684091725, G7084143925, G7666367276, G8750675724
OpenAlex ID: W4413878409