Self-Assembly and Genetically Engineered Hydrogels

The past few decades have witnessed the emergence of a variety of hydrogel materials for applications ranging from health to solutions for restoring natural environments. Among the numerous ways to synthesize these materials, directly assembling genetically engineered proteins into higher-order structures turned out to be a powerful strategy for hydrogel design. In recent years, the resulting genetically engineered (GE) hydrogels, noted for their modularity, versatility, and genetic programmability, are gaining traction with materials scientists and synthetic biologists who are eyeing the prospect of mass producing these materials via biosynthesis. In this chapter, we review the recent progresses in creating GE hydrogels, especially those enabled by self-assembling protein motifs, as well as their applications.