Biomimetic monolayer-protected gold nanoparticles for immunorecognition.

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) protected by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are capable of presenting precisely engineered surfaces at the nanoscale, allowing the mimicry of biomacromolecules on an artificial platform. Here we review the generation, characterization, and applications of monolayer-protected AuNPs that have been designed for immunorecognition by the integration of an oligopeptide epitope into the protecting monolayer. The resulting peptide-AuNP conjugate is an effective platform for biomimesis, as demonstrated by multiple studies. Recent work is presented and future directions for this field of research are discussed.