Regeneration of human tissues and organs can have extraordinary impact on quality of life and the cost of health care, both issues of critical importance when the average lifespan of world populations continues to rise.  As the relevant biological pathways become better understood, chemistry can play a key role in implementing novel therapies.  This lecture describes strategies that utilize supramolecular self-assembly to create bioactive, biomimetic, and biodegradable nanoscale filaments, virus-like objects, or cell-like microcapsules that function as an artificial extracellular matrix to trigger regeneration.   The supramolecular chemistry of these nanostructures allows them to interact directly with cell receptors, activate or mimic growth factors, recruit endogenous proteins, or interact with intracellular targets. The lecture will discuss their use in spinal cord injury, Parkinson's disease, rapid growth of blood vessels for myocardial infarction or peripheral arterial disease, as well as their use in bone and cartilage regeneration.

Chemistry for regenerative medicine

243rd National Meeting (2012)

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