Amyloid Fibrils - Self-Assembling Proteins

Abstract

The design of new materials through self-assembly of biomolecules is at the center of various fields in science, technology, and industry. It is important to distinguish between aggregation and self-assembly. Aggregation is a self-association reaction generally resulting in the formation of amorphous aggregates that are heterogeneous in structure. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of various complex biological systems. Protein aggregation is of critical importance in a wide variety of biomedical situations ranging from conformational disorders associated with neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer disease, to the production, stabili..