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Science 23 November 2001:
Vol. 294. no. 5547, pp. 1684 - 1688
DOI: 10.1126/science.1063187
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Reports

Self-Assembly and Mineralization of Peptide-Amphiphile Nanofibers

Jeffrey D. Hartgerink, Elia Beniash, Samuel I. Stupp*

We have used the pH-induced self-assembly of a peptide-amphiphile to make a nanostructured fibrous scaffold reminiscent of extracellular matrix. The design of this peptide-amphiphile allows the nanofibers to be reversibly cross-linked to enhance or decrease their structural integrity. After cross-linking, the fibers are able to direct mineralization of hydroxyapatite to form a composite material in which the crystallographic c axes of hydroxyapatite are aligned with the long axes of the fibers. This alignment is the same as that observed between collagen fibrils and hydroxyapatite crystals in bone.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Chemistry, and Medical School, Northwestern University, 2225 North Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: s-stupp{at}northwestern.edu

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)