Molecule Design, Self-Assembly, Material Structure, Biomaterials, Biomimicry, and Other Advances

This second-ever Peptide Materials GRC builds on the highly successful inaugural meeting in 2023 and will include a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from research institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference will explore molecular through macroscopic design and materials creation based on peptides and their derivatives and mimics. Topics of focus in the field include both fundamental research in peptide design, synthesis, assembly, molecular conjugation, gelation, coacervation, and phase behavior as well as diverse technological applications such as functional materials for catalysis, drug delivery, imaging, regenerative medicine, adhesion, inorganic material templating, as well as structural materials such as high performance fibers, 2-D materials, and hierarchical 3D materials. Instead of focusing on the therapeutic, biological and electronic properties of individual peptides, this meeting is intended to highlight the materials properties that emerge from, and are uniquely associated with, the intermolecular self-assembly, fabrication, and organization of peptidic units in solution, in bulk, or at interfaces. Molecular designs to be discuss are inspired by natural proteins while others are de novo, computationally designed. Synthetic chemistry and biosynthesis will be fundamental to molecule syntheses discussed. Molecules will be based on natural and non-natural amino acids as well as their mimics, such as peptoids. The physical principles underlying solution assembly and material behavior will be a focus as will the characterization of nanoscale through macroscale material properties. The connection of peptide materials research to larger molecules such as polypeptides and multimeric and folded proteins will also be covered.