A review with 43 refs. on strategies for the synthesis of protein mimetics and artificial proteins. The ultimate goal in protein de novo design is the construction of artificial proteins inhibiting tailor-made structural and functional properties. To create native-like macromols. in copying nature's way has proven to be difficult because the mechanism of folding in its complexity has yet to be unraveled. To bypass the well-known folding problem, the concept of template assembled synthetic proteins (TASP) was developed. This strategy uses topol. templates as 'built-in' devices for the induction of well-defined folding topologies. Progress in synthetic strategies, e.g., chemoselective ligation methods and orthogonal protection techniques, opens the way for the design of more complex TASP mols. featuring functional properties such as membrane channels, vaccines, catalysts, receptors, or ligands. [on SciFinder (R)]