Biomimmetic structures: Incorporation of active bio-molecules in polyelectrolyte shells

Polyelectrolyte based capsules are recently proposed as drug carriers showing the potentiality to overcome the shortcomings associated to conventional drug formul. Capsule properties such as composition, mechanical stability, morphology and permeability can be engineered at the nanometer scale depending on the specific application under investigation. In addition these capsules could also be used in artificial cell and biosensor applications. LbL technique provides a versatile and simple method to create multifunctional smart containers. However for fabrication of stable and active capsules suitable for biological applications a biomimetic structure is required. Incorporation of bioactive molecules into nano-to-microscale delivery systems may increase drug's bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy at single cell level giving desirable targeted therapy. Self assemble amyphilic lipid molecules and crystalline proteins are an example of these bioactive molecules each giving a desirable properties. In this work combination of self assemble array of proteins into such systems and their advantages has been described.