Hydrogel Utilization in Tissue Scaffolds

Excited to share our latest work, "#Engineering the #Hierarchical #Porosity of #Granular #Hydrogel #Scaffolds using Porous #Microgels to Improve #Cell Recruitment and #Tissue Integration," published in Advanced Functional Materials! In this study, we tackled a key limitation of granular hydrogel scaffolds (GHS) — limited porosity due to spherical nonporous microgels — by introducing porous microgels fabricated through thermally induced polymer phase separation. This approach resulted in: i) Approximately 170% increase in void fraction compared with nonporous microgel-based GHS; (ii) Preservation of structural stability despite increased porosity; (iii) Significantly higher and more uniform cell infiltration in vitro and in vivo; (iv) Up to ~ 78% increase in cell infiltration in vivo. This work sets the foundation for developing next-generation granular biomaterials with hierarchical porosity, improved cell recruitment, and enhanced tissue integration — paving the way for faster and more effective tissue repair. A big thank you to my incredible team for their outstanding effort! 👉 Read the full paper here: https://lnkd.in/euJPcnQs #weare #pennstate #chemicalengineering #biomedicalengineering #chemistry #neurosurgery #BSMaL #Biomaterials #TissueEngineering #Hydrogels #RegenerativeMedicine #PorousMaterials

🚀A Breakthrough in Long-Acting Injectables: Injectable Cryogels and Regenerative Medicine!💉 👉 Injectable cryogels are emerging as a revolutionary biomaterial platform, combining mechanical robustness with highly tunable drug delivery properties. These super-porous hydrogels are fabricated via cryopolymerization — a process conducted at subzero temperatures that creates interconnected macroporous networks critical for enhanced mass transport and cell infiltration. 🔑 Technical Highlights: 🔎 Cryopolymerization Process: During freezing, solvent crystals act as porogens, resulting in a scaffold with pore sizes ranging from 50 to 200 microns — ideal for nutrient diffusion and cellular ingress. 🔎 Elasticity and Shape Memory: Cryogels exhibit remarkable compressibility and shape recovery, enabling injection through needles as small as 18-22 gauge without fracturing. This mechanical resilience distinguishes them from conventional hydrogels. 🔎 Customizable Degradation Kinetics: By varying polymer composition (e.g., PEG, PVA, alginate) and crosslinking density, cryogels can be engineered for biodegradation times from weeks to months, allowing sustained, localized drug release tailored to therapeutic needs. 🔎 High Drug Loading Capacity: Their macroporous structure facilitates high payload incorporation of small molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, or even nanoparticles, with controlled diffusion profiles minimizing burst release. 🔝 Advantages: ✨ Minimally invasive delivery: Cryogels can be injected through small-gauge needles, improving patient comfort without sacrificing structural integrity. ✨ Sustained drug release: Enables prolonged therapeutic effect, reducing dosing frequency and improving adherence. ✨ Versatile therapeutic potential: Applicable in oncology, chronic wound healing, and stem cell therapies. 🐭 Clinical Trials Update: ➡️ A Phase 1 clinical trial (NCT04982180) is currently evaluating an injectable cryogel-based scaffold loaded with immune-stimulating agents for solid tumor immunotherapy. Early results show promising local immune activation with minimal systemic toxicity. ➡️ Another ongoing clinical study explores the use of cryogel scaffolds in diabetic foot ulcer treatment (NCT05234590), demonstrating enhanced wound closure rates and better tissue regeneration compared to standard care. ➡️ Preclinical data supports their use in stem cell transplantation with ongoing trials expected soon to evaluate safety and efficacy in cardiac and neural repair. Injectable cryogels represent a promising platform for combining controlled drug release with regenerative capabilities, potentially transforming patient outcomes across multiple therapeutic areas🔬🤝 #InjectableCryogels #DrugDelivery #ClinicalTrials #RegenerativeMedicine #LongActingInjectables #Oncology #WoundHealing #PharmaInnovation #BiomedicalEngineering

Bioinspired Hydrogel Enhances Spinal Cord Injury Repair and Functional Recovery A biomimetic hydrogel composed of hyaluronic acid-graft-dopamine (HADA) and the designer peptide HGF-(RADA)4-DGDRGDS (HRR) was developed to enhance tissue integration after spinal cord injury (SCI). This HADA/HRR hydrogel effectively guides the infiltration of PDGFRβ+ cells in a parallel arrangement, converting dense scar tissue into an aligned fibrous matrix that is beneficial for axonal regeneration. The addition of NT3 and curcumin further promoted axonal regeneration and ensured the survival of interneurons at the lesion border, which acted as relays to establish heterogeneous axonal connections in a target-specific manner. In animal studies, HADA/HRR + NT3/Cur hydrogel demonstrated significant improvements in motor, sensory, and bladder function in rats with complete spinal cord transection. The hydrogel promoted the accumulation of V2a neurons in the ventral spinal cord and contributed to the recovery of motor function. Furthermore, in canines with spinal cord hemisection, the hydrogel promoted the formation of heterogeneous neural connections at the lesion via neuronal relays, resulting in significant improvements in motor function. These findings highlight the potential of biomaterials to promote beneficial bioactivities in SCI repair. HADA/HRR hydrogels, especially when combined with NT3 and curcumin, not only support axonal regeneration but also enhance functional integration of neural connections, providing a promising approach for SCI treatment. This study identifies the ability of bioinspired hydrogels to change the SCI repair landscape by promoting specific cellular and molecular interactions critical for functional recovery. Reference [1] Zan Tan et al., Science Advances 2024 (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ado9120)

UK Builds First Fully 3D-Printed Human Heart Scaffold Using Patient’s Real CT Scan In a breakthrough for transplant medicine, a team at University of Manchester has 3D printed the full-scale scaffold of a human heart using the patient’s own imaging data. The structure will be seeded with stem cells to grow a fully personalized, rejection-free organ. Using stereolithography and a novel hydrogel-silicone blend, the heart scaffold captures every valve, chamber, and arterial branch with micrometer precision. It took just under 12 hours to print using a dual-laser system guided by a CT scan reconstruction. Once printed, the scaffold is infused with endothelial and cardiomyocyte precursor cells harvested from the patient’s own bone marrow. Over weeks, these cells begin populating the structure, eventually forming a vascularized, beating heart. The team has already grown working left ventricle chambers from partial scaffolds that contract in sync with electrical pulses. Full organ trials are expected in 2026. If successful, this could eliminate donor shortages and reduce post-transplant immune suppression therapy entirely — a total redesign of cardiac transplantation.