Year: 2023
Type: editorial
Abstract: We are pleased to present a joint special issue spanning Advanced Therapeutics and Macromolecular Bioscience to highlight progress in the use of hydrogel biomaterials for therapeutic applications.Hydrogels have been broadly explored as functional biomaterials; their three-dimensional highly hydrated porous architecture captures features of native extracellular matrix, offering surrogate substrates for the growth of cells and networks for the controlled release of therapeutic agents.[1-11] In hydrogels used for biomedical application, relevant properties may include tunable control of matrix stiffness or its dynamics, [12,13] shear-thinning and self-healing transformations in conjunction with injection from a syringe or to interface with additive manufacturing and 3D printing, [14-16] or mechanisms to respond to physiologically relevant features like temperature, pH, or enzymatic activity.[17-19] The applications for this versatile class of materials are therefore broad, and many new directions are actively being explored.This special issue spans the journals of Advanced Therapeutics and Macromolecular Biosciences, with more application-focused pieces appearing in the former and those focused more on fundamental design and evaluation of hydrogels appearing in the latter.The pieces enclosed within this joint special issue include informative reviews alongside original research from some World leaders using hydrogels for biomedical applications.The polymers used to construct these hydrogels are broad, ranging from one-dimensional assembly of small supramolecular gelators to covalently crosslinked (bio)polymer networks.The application of these materials is just as broad, with their uses explored for threedimensional support of cells, controlled release of encapsulated therapeutic agents, bioadhesive constructs for tissue regeneration, and 3D printing of hierarchically organized scaffolds.The breadth encompassed in these articles is indicative of the many possible therapeutic uses of hydrogels to uncover new knowledge about biology, derive new functional technologies, or contribute to improving the practice of medicine.
Source: Macromolecular Bioscience
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4389325218