Project R-11527

Tough double network hydrogels for tissue engineering (Research)

Hydrogels are materials with a 3D structure, consisting of hydrophilic polymers which are able to absorb large amounts of water. Over the years, hydrogels have found their way into various clinical applications. One of these applications is tissue engineering (TE), a method to restore tissues or organs in patients who have suffered tissue or organ damage. ln this method a polymer scaffold is combined with tissue specific cells from the patient to engineer the desired tissue. Though hydrogels with self-healing capabilities would be an ideal candidate for a scaffold material in tissue engineering because of its resemblance to soft, loadbearing tissues in the body. Especially injectable hydrogels will have a tremendous advantage in TE. ln this way the gel precursor can be administered in a minimally invasive manner using a syringe. Furthermore, it would be ideal if the gel would form inside the body as a response to physical changes (temperature, pH,...).This project aims to develop such functional (though, stimuli-responsive, self-healing, injectable,..) hydrogels. However, the biggest challenge is to find a hydrogel that combines these different properties. ln this research different building blocks will be tested for the composition of the hydrogels and the influence of these building blocks on the properties of the hydrogel will be examined. lntegrating the merits of different building blocks will be the key to developing innovative hydrogels for these applications.

01 February 2019 - 31 January 2023