Design of Bio-Conjugated Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine Applications: From Polymer Scaffold to Biomolecule Choice

Abstract

Bio-conjugated hydrogels merge the functionality of a synthetic network with the activity of a biomolecule, becoming thus an interesting class of materials for a variety of biomedical applications. This combination allows the fine tuning of their functionality and activity, whilst retaining biocompatibility, responsivity and displaying tunable chemical and mechanical properties. A complex scenario of molecular factors and conditions have to be taken into account to ensure the correct functionality of the bio-hydrogel as a scaffold or a delivery system, including the polymer backbone and biomolecule choice, polymerization conditions, architecture and biocompatibility. In this review, we present these key factors and conditions that have to match together to ensure the correct functionality of the bio-conjugated hydrogel. We then present recent examples of bio-conjugated hydrogel systems paving the way for regenerative medicine applications.

Fully Synthetic 3D Fibrous Scaffolds for Stromal Tissues—Replacement of Animal‐Derived Scaffold Materials Demonstrated by Multilayered Skin

“…Further examples are highly defined synthetic hydrogels, that can mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) on a molecular level leading to an exceptional control on several cellular functions such as adhesion and differentiation of complex cell types. [ 15–17 ] However, high production costs and finite mechanical stabilities due to missing fibril/fibrous structures limit the application domain of synthetic hydrogel‐based tissues.…”

“…Further examples are highly defined synthetic hydrogels, that can mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) on a molecular level leading to an exceptional control on several cellular functions such as adhesion and differentiation of complex cell types. [15][16][17] However, high production costs and…”

Structural Characterization of Biomaterials by Means of Small Angle X-rays and Neutron Scattering (SAXS and SANS), and Light Scattering Experiments

“…With recent advances in experimental and theoretical approaches in material science and biotechnology, a deeper understanding of the structure-function relationships and their implication in advanced applications has been made possible [1][2][3][4][5]. Novel nanostructured systems prepared through chemical synthesis or self-assembly approaches find applications in various biotechnology fields include drug/gene delivery [6][7][8][9][10][11], tissue engineering [12][13][14][15] and nanomedicine [16][17][18][19]. More specifically, a relevant number of both natural products and new developed nanostructures are hierarchically organized and composed of structure-building elements (so called "building blocks"), which consist of nano-sized (bio-)molecules self-assembled into supramolecular aggregates, or at materials systems interfaces [20][21][22][23][24].…”

Smart Hydrogels Meet Carbon Nanomaterials for New Frontiers in Medicine

“…Hydrogels are soft materials that retain high levels of water that are widely used for their adsorption and delivery properties in areas such as drug [ 1 ] or protein [ 2 ] release, tissue engineering [ 3 , 4 ], and wound healing [ 3 , 5 ]. They are typically composed of a three-dimensional network that traditionally arises from chains of polymers [ 6 ], polysaccharides [ 7 ], proteins [ 8 ], or other macromolecules. In recent years, supramolecular hydrogels, whose matrix is based on non-covalent interactions between small molecule building blocks, have attracted increasing attention to attain responsive materials [ 9 ] and 3D constructs [ 10 ].…”