Recombinant protein-based injectable materials for biomedical applications

Injectable nanocarriers and hydrogels have found widespread use in a variety of biomedical applications such as local and sustained biotherapeutic cargo delivery, and as cell-instructive matrices for tissue engi-neering. Recent advances in the development and application of recombinant protein-based materials as injectable platforms under physiological conditions have made them useful platforms for the develop-ment of nanoparticles and tissue engineering matrices, which are reviewed in this work. Protein-engineered biomaterials are highly customizable, and they provide distinctly tunable rheological proper-ties, encapsulation efficiencies, and delivery profiles. In particular, the key advantages of emerging tech-nologies which harness the stimuli-responsive properties of recombinant polypeptide-based materials are highlighted in this review.(c) 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.