Scientists have discovered a way to assemble organic materials into tubular tissue-like structures that could be used to create artificial arteries.

In this new method, peptides and proteins are used to create materials capable of dynamic behaviors seen in living tissue, such as morphogenesis, and healing, Queen Mary, University of London reported. The technique involves solutions of peptide and protein molecules that assemble themselves into dynamic tissue when they touch, this material can then be guided to form complex 3-D shapes.

"The system enables the formation of a robust membrane that displays controlled assembly and disassembly capabilities, adhesion and sealing to surfaces, self-healing and the capability to undergo morphogenesis into tubular structures with high spatiotemporal control," the researchers wrote in their study abstract. 

The researchers believe their discovery could lead to a new way to engineer artificial arteries and veins. It could be used to create the blood brain barrier, allowing scientists to study diseases such as Alzheimer's in ways that have never been possible before. The findings also have the potential to create "implants, complex tissues, or more effective drug screening methods."

"What is most exciting about this discovery is the possibility for us to use peptides and proteins as building-blocks of materials with the capacity to controllably grow or change shape, solely by self-assembly," said Alvaro Mata, Director of the Institute of Bioengineering at QMUL and lead author of the paper.

The findings were published in a recent edition of the journal Nature Chemistry.