Inhibition of the Fibrillation of Amyloid Aβ by Hybrid-Lipid-Polymer Vesicles.

The transformation of functional proteins into amyloidic plaques is responsible for the impairment of neurological functions in patients fallen victim to debilitating neurological conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's diseases. The nucleating role of amyloid beta (Aβ ) peptide into amyloids is well established. Herein, lipid hybrid-vesicles are generated with glycerol/cholesterol-bearing polymers aiming to alter the nucleation process and modulate the early phases of Aβ fibrillation.

Self-Healing in Supramolecular Polymers.

Adaption and self-healing are two major principles in material science, often coupled with the placement of supramolecular moieties within a material. Proper molecular design can enable self-healing within such materials, displaying enormous potential in technology and application. Here, basic physicochemical aspects as well as new material developments in the field are described, published after a recent review in Macromolecular Rapid Communications in 2013.