Berkeley Lab Finding that Protein Folding Funnels Also Apply
to Self-Assembly Should Benefit Biomimicry and Nanosynthesis
Proteins are able to self-assemble into a wide range of
highly ordered structures that feature a diverse array of properties. Through
biomimicry – technological innovation inspired by nature – humans hope to
emulate proteins and produce our own version of self-assembling molecules. A
key to accomplishing this is understanding how protein-folding – a process
critical to the form and function of a protein – is extended from individual
proteins to complex assemblies.