Fabrication of Elastin-based Biomaterials for Versatile Applications

Elastin is an essential extracellular matrix (ECM) protein predominantly found in mammalian tissues and organs including the skin, blood vessels, cartilage, ligaments, lungs and heart. Its primary function is to endow tissues with elasticity and reversible deformability. In this work, a series of elastin-based biomaterials with high purity, biomimetic structure, superior elasticity and favorable batch-to-batch reproducibility was presented via synthetic biology. Inspired by these functional biomaterials, we intend to provide new solutions to fabricate naturally-derived double-network hydrogels, which can be used as surgical adhesives, soft bioelectronics, and light transmittance regulators, etc.

Zhongwei Guo is a Research Fellow at Zhengzhou University. He earned his Ph.D. and completed postdoctoral training at Tsinghua University, and was a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley. His research interests include 3D bioprinting, flexible wearable sensors, and tissue engineering. As a principal investigator, he has led the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Henan Key R&D Program. He has published multiple SCI papers in journals including Biofabrication, Trends in Biotechnology, Nano Research, CEJ, AHM, Macromolecules, and Biomacromolecules.