Development of biomimetic surfaces by vesicle fusion

In this study fusion of lipid-peptide amphiphile vesicles is employed to form biomimetic coating materials that can modify cellular adhesion and growth on solid substrates. Ellipsometry has been used to monitor vesicle fusion at different concentrations on hydrophilic surfaces and to identify adsorption as its limiting step. Incorporation of small amounts of RGD containing peptide amphiphiles in cell adhesion resistant PC lipid membranes is shown to promote adhesion and growth only when a sufficiently long spacer is used to control the distance of the peptide ligand from the surface.