Developing self-complementary macrocycles with ingenious molecules

Some biological molecules with efficient noncovalent bonding sites can use their bonding properties to create well-defined assemblies from a single class of molecules—i.e., they assemble with each other. These molecules, which are frequently seen in nature, are referred to as "self-complementary assemblies." For instance, the p24 protein hexamer, which is part of the capsid of the HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), is composed of six protein subunits that complementarily self-assemble using many hydrogen bonds.