Fig. 7

Genetically engineered protein design to prevent non-specific protein biofouling. a A recombinant protein design: CNT-binding peptide (CNT-bp) genetically attached to GFP and HER2 binding peptide. b Confocal microscopy image of fluorescent HER2bp-functionalized CNTs. Fluorescence indicates the GFP in the protein is not denatured upon attachment. c Protein landscapes of the purified HER2bp (top); the protein stripped from the HER2bp functionalized nanotubes (middle lane), and the total protein stripped from the functionalized nanotubes after incubation with serum. The presence of a single band demonstrates how the synthetic protein prevents unwanted biofouling of serum proteins on the nanotube