A catch-bond based nanoadhesive sensitive to shear stress

The bacterial adhesive protein FimH forms bonds so-called catch-bonds with the carbohydrate monomannose whose strength increases under force. We introduce FimH here as a nanoadhesive that binds strongly within a characteristic force range but poorly below and above this range. We demonstrate that a mixture of adhesive-covered beads can be sorted by size in a flow chamber or can function collectively as in situ wall shear stress sensors. We also propose applications of catch-bonds for shear-selective drug delivery and shear stress mapping in biological systems.