Expression and Purification of Neurotrophin-Elastin-Like Peptide Fusion Proteins for Neural Regeneration.

Background: Neural injuries such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or nerve transection injuries pose a major health problem. Neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor (NGF) or brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been shown to improve the outcome of neural injuries in several pre-clinical models, but their use in clinics is limited by the lack of a robust delivery system that enhances their bioavailability and half-life.

Objectives: We describe two fusion proteins comprising NGF or BDNF fused with elastin-like peptides (ELPs).