The Zhejiang University - University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
J2 Lab for Engineering Living Materials, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.
Adv Healthc Mater. 2024 Oct;13(27):e2401562. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202401562. Epub 2024 Jun 22.
Protein hydrogels with tailored stimuli-responsive features and tunable stiffness have garnered considerable attention due to the growing demand for biomedical soft robotics. However, integrating multiple responsive features toward intelligent yet biocompatible actuators remains challenging. Here, a facile approach that synergistically combines genetic and chemical engineering for the design of protein hydrogel actuators with programmable complex spatial deformation is reported. Genetically engineered silk-elastin-like proteins (SELPs) are encoded with stimuli-responsive motifs and enzymatic crosslinking sites via simulation-guided genetic engineering strategies. Chemical modifications of the recombinant proteins are also used as secondary control points to tailor material properties, responsive features, and anisotropy in SELP hydrogels. As a proof-of-concept example, diazonium coupling chemistry is exploited to incorporate sulfanilic acid groups onto the tyrosine residues in the elastin domains of SELPs to achieve patterned SELP hydrogels. These hydrogels can be programmed to perform various actuations, including controllable bending, buckling, and complex deformation under external stimuli, such as temperature, ionic strength, or pH. With the inspiration of genetic and chemical engineering in natural organisms, this work offers a predictable, tunable, and environmentally sustainable approach for the fabrication of programmed intelligent soft actuators, with implications for a variety of biomedical materials and biorobotics needs.
由于对生物医学软机器人的需求不断增长，具有定制刺激响应特性和可调刚度的蛋白质水凝胶受到了极大的关注。然而，将多种响应特性集成到智能且生物相容的执行器中仍然具有挑战性。在这里，报道了一种通过遗传和化学工程协同作用设计具有可编程复杂空间变形的蛋白质水凝胶执行器的简便方法。通过模拟引导的遗传工程策略，对基因工程丝弹性蛋白样蛋白（SELPs）进行编码，使其具有刺激响应基序和酶交联位点。还对重组蛋白进行化学修饰，作为次要控制点来调整材料性能、响应特性和 SELP 水凝胶的各向异性。作为概念验证示例，利用重氮偶联化学将磺基苯胺基团结合到 SELP 中弹性蛋白结构域的酪氨酸残基上，以实现图案化 SELP 水凝胶。这些水凝胶可以编程以执行各种动作，包括在外源刺激（如温度、离子强度或 pH 值）下进行可控弯曲、屈曲和复杂变形。受天然生物中遗传和化学工程的启发，这项工作为可编程智能软执行器的制造提供了一种可预测、可调谐且环境可持续的方法，适用于各种生物医学材料和生物机器人需求。
