Bioapplications of Polyelectrolyte Multilayers.

What is it about?

This review briefly summarizes the recent successes of PEM being utilized for diverse bio-applications.

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Why is it important?

The synergistic relationship between structure and the bulk properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films has generated tremendous interest in their application for loading and release of bioactive species. Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is the simplest, cost effective process for fabrication of such polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEM) films, leading to one of the most widely accepted platforms for incorporating biological molecules with nanometer precision. The bulk reservoir properties of polyelectrolyte multilayer films render them a potential candidate for applications such as biosensing, drug delivery and tissue engineering. Various biomolecules such as proteins, DNA, RNA or other desired molecules can be incorporated into the PEM stack via electrostatic interactions and various other secondary interactions such as hydrophobic interactions. The location and availability of the biological molecules within the PEM stack mediates its applicability in various fields of biomedical engineering such as programmed drug delivery.