Bioinspired organic chemistry

Abstract

As well as describing some bioinspired structural and functional mimics of the major classes of biomolecule, this year’s review reflects the expanding scope of bioinspired research by including short sections on bioinspired materials and the prevention of amyloid plaque formation. Highlights in this review include: switchable antisense PNA that targets Zebrafish genes to give phenotype changes in Zebrafish embryos, a new method for screening ion channels directly from SDS-PAGE gels, a “chemical tongue” that detects metabolites in food products, and designed synthetic polypeptides that engage in simple enzyme-like catalysis.