UIUC interdisciplinary team reports the design of chimeric polypeptides leading to development of noninvasive biosensors for potential application in biomedical research.

Usually, the synthesis of short protein chains (polypeptides) begins with the production of their components, the amino acids. But it can be done differently: In the journal Angewandte Chemie, Chinese researchers report a considerably more convenient method that is similar to olefin polymerization, which is used for the mass production of plastics such as polyethylene.