Heparin binding nanostructures to promote growth of blood vessels.

Controlling new blood vessel formation is of interest in regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. Heparin, a biopolymer that binds to angiogenic growth factors, was used to nucleate the self-assembly of nanostructures from designed peptide amphiphile molecules. This process yields rigid nanofibers that display heparin chains to orient proteins for cell signaling.