Hydrogels with Advanced Functionalities for Application in Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (2nd Edition)

Dear Colleagues, 

This Special Issue is dedicated to bioengineers who develop new hydrogels with advanced applications in the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering.

Hydrogels are biomaterials used in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. They are a tridimensional network of crosslinked polymer chains that, due to these polymers’ hydrophilic nature, retain high quantities of water. This water content allows the natural diffusion of molecules within the hydrogels, which gives them a soft mechanical appearance. These features, which closely resemble the characteristics of the extracellular matrixes that bind connective tissues, have encouraged bioengineers to explore hydrogels’ biomedical uses, e.g., sustained-release drug depots or cell encapsulation. More recently, first-generation hydrogels with varied physical–chemical, mechanical and biological properties have been created by either tailoring the types and amount of polymers or varying the processing method. Rapid evolution in the field of biotechnology triggered the development of more advanced hydrogels, enabling a boost in tissue engineering upon the biofunctionalization of hydrogels at cell-adhesive sites (e.g., RGD sequence) to improve adhesion. This process tethers growth factors to stimulate a specific response (e.g., FGF-2 is stimulated to boost proliferation) or add metalloproteinase-sensitive degradation sites at which cell-mediated remodeling occurs. The control of hydrogels’ rheological and mechanical properties became of particular interest following the 3D bioprinting revolution, which stimulated demand for adequate rheological properties to enable printing and a sol–gel transition post-printing. Smart and stimuli-responsive hydrogels that are capable of responding to stimuli (e.g., temperature, pH, magnetic or electric fields, etc.) by demonstrating a specific behavior (e.g., softening, swelling or molecule release) also have great potential as biosensors. All of these frontline strategies enrich the current state of the art of hydrogels and create new opportunities in the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. We welcome submissions relevant to this exciting field and look forward to acquiring the up-to-date knowledge that these new works will provide.

Prof. Dr. Rui L. Reis
Dr. Lucília P. da Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• biomaterial
• hydrogel
• biofunctionalization
• tissue engineering
• regenerative medicine