Peptide-Based Functional Coatings and Assemblies That Resist Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi

The lecture will present bio-inspired functional coatings and assemblies that are spontaneously formed by short peptides. These peptide-based coatings self-assemble on either biotic or abiotic surfaces under mild conditions without any need for a curing step. The coating can serve many functions. One application is preventing biofouling - the undesirable adhesion of biomolecules and organisms to surfaces. This process leads to numerous adverse phenomena including hospital-acquired infection, blockage of water desalination facilities, and food contamination. We showed that this coating prevents the first step of biofouling, which involves the adsorption of bioorganic molecules to the substrate. Moreover, the coating significantly reduces the attachment of various organisms to surfaces. Another function that these peptide-based coatings can mediate is the adhesion of mammalian cells to implants. This function is important for the integration of implants into the human body. Finally, we showed that these peptides self-assemble in solution into particles that can be incorporated into polymeric films by co-extrusion and act to reduce the number of bacteria, fungi, and viruses on the surface.