Ionic self-assembling peptides

1. A pharmaceutical composition comprising a self-assembling peptide, wherein the self-assembling peptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:35.

2. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the self-assembling peptide comprises one or both of,

an N-terminal functional group selected from the group consisting of an acetyl, a formyl, pyroglutamyl (pGlu), biotin, polyethylene glycol (PEG), urea, alkylamine, a carbamate, a sulfonamide, dansyl, 2,4-dintrophenyl, fluorescein, 7-methoxycoumarin acetic acid, 9-fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl, palmitic acid, succinyl, chloroacetyl, maleimide, benzyloxycarbonyl, bromoacetyl, nitrilotriacetyl, tertbutoxycarbonyl, 4-hydroxyphenylpropionic acid, allyloxycarbonyl, butyric acid, a fatty acid, and trityl, and

a C-terminal functional group selected from the group consisting of an amine, an amido, an N-alkyl amide, an aldehyde, an ester, an alcohol, para-nitroanilide (pNA), 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (Amc), a hydrazide, hydroxamic acid, chloromethylketone, p-nitroaniline, para-nitrophenol, hydroxysucinimide ester, fluoromethylketone, cysteamide, 9-fluorenemethyl (Fm) ester, allyl ester, 2,4-dimethoxybenzyl ester, 2-phenylisopropyl ester, p-nitrobenzyl ester, and 2-chlorotrityl ester.

3. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the self-assembling peptide further comprises at least one biologically-active peptide motif at the N-terminal end, or the C-terminal end, or both, of the self-assembling peptide.

4. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 3 , wherein the at least one biologically-active peptide motif is derived from laminin-1, collagen IV, fibronectin, elastin, bone marrow homing peptide 1, bone marrow homing peptide 2, or myelopeptide.

5. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , further comprising a tonicity agent wherein the tonicity agent comprises:

one or more salts selected from the group consisting of NaCl, KCl, MgCl 2 , CaCl 2 , NH 4 Cl, Na 2 HPO 4 , KH 2 PO 4 , and CaSO 4 ; or

one or more sugars selected from the group consisting of dextrose, mannitol, glycerin, sucrose, and trehalose.

6. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 5 , wherein the tonicity agent comprises one or more salts and is present in a concentration of about 0.01 M to about 0.3 M or about 0.15 M.

7. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 5 , wherein the tonicity agent comprises one or more sugars and is present in a concentration of about 0.1-10% (w/v), or about 10% (w/v).

8. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , having a pH of from about 6 to about 8.

9. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 8 , wherein the net charge of the self-assembling peptide is greater than or equal to +1 or less than or equal to −1.

10. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the concentration of the self-assembling peptide from about 0.01% (w/v) to about 10% (w/v), about 0.1% (w/v) to about 5% (w/v), about 0.5% (w/v) to about 1.5% (w/v), or about 1% (w/v).

11. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , further comprising an isolated cell.

12. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 11 , wherein the isolated cell is a mammalian cell selected from the group consisting of: an immune cell, a stem cell, chondrocyte progenitor cells, pancreatic progenitor cells, myoblasts, fibroblasts, keratinocytes, neuronal cells, glial cells, astrocytes, pre-adipocytes, adipocytes, vascular endothelial cells, endothelial progenitor cells, mesenchymal cells, neural stem cells, immune cells, (e.g., B-cells and T-cells), smooth muscle progenitor cells, cardiac myocytes, fetal dermal fibroblasts, epidermal keratinocytes, myoblasts, and capillary endothelial cells.

13. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition further comprises a bioactive agent.

14. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 13 , wherein the bioactive agent is selected from the group consisting of a hormone, a growth factor, insulin, an enzyme, an siRNA, an shRNA, an antisense-RNA, an antibiotic, an antibody, and an anti-inflammatory agent.

15. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is an aqueous solution.

16. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition is a hydrogel.

17. The pharmaceutical composition of claim 16 , wherein the hydrogel comprises a storage modulus of at least about 10 Pascal (Pa).

18. An article of manufacture comprising the pharmaceutical composition of claim 1 , wherein the article is a syringe, a vial, an auto-injector, tubing, or a catheter.

19. A method of promoting tissue repair or regeneration in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a tissue of the subject an effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , thereby promoting tissue repair or regeneration of the tissue.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the tissue is skin, bone, cartilage, neural, ligament, tendon, vascular tissue, optic, muscle, or cardiac tissue.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the subject has a congenital disease or disorder resulting in a need for the tissue repair or regeneration; or the subject has suffered an injury resulting in a need for the tissue repair or regeneration, wherein the injury is a result of surgery, trauma, stroke, tumor, or a disease or disorder.

22. A method of promoting wound healing in a subject in need thereof, comprising administering to a subject's wound an effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , thereby promoting wound healing and/or anti-microbial activity, wherein the wound comprises an abrasion, a burn, a chap, a detrition, a cut, an ulcer, a laceration, an incision, or a scratch.

23. A method of reducing bleeding at a site within a subject, comprising administering to the site an effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , wherein the pharmaceutical composition creates a physical barrier thereby reducing bleeding at the site within the subject.

24. A method of excising a lesion from a site in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject, comprising:

administering to the submucosa below the lesion a pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 in an amount sufficient to lift the lesion; and

excising the lesion from the site in the gastrointestinal tract of the subject.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the lesion comprises a polyp, an ulcer, or a tumor.

26. The method of claim 24 , wherein the lesion is present in a region of the gastrointestinal tract selected from the group consisting of: mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, colon, and rectum.

27. A method of culturing a cell, comprising contacting the cell with the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 .

28. A method of treating a pulmonary bulla in a subject, comprising:

introducing a delivery device to a target area of the pulmonary bulla of the subject; positioning an end of the delivery device in the target area in which a treatment of the pulmonary bulla is desired;

administering, through the delivery device, the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 in an effective amount and in an effective concentration to the target area to form a barrier under physiological conditions of the target area to treat the pulmonary bulla;

removing the delivery device from the target area; and

collapsing the pulmonary bulla prior or subsequent to administering the solution.

29. A method for mitigating adhesion to a biological tissue, the method comprising administering to the biological tissue an effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 , to thereby mitigate adhesion to the biological tissue.

30. A method of filling a bone void in a subject, comprising

introducing a delivery device to a bone of a subject;

positioning an end of the delivery device proximate a void in the bone where promotion of bone growth is desired;

administering the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 in a concentration sufficient to form a hydrogel scaffold under physiological conditions through the delivery device; and

removing the delivery device.

31. A method of treating dry eye in a subject, comprising administering to an eye of the subject an effective amount of the pharmaceutical composition according to claim 1 .

32. A self-assembling peptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:35.