Technology
Hydrogel biomaterials that are biodegradable are often sought in the field of regenerative medicine and 3D bioprinting. Biomedical hydrogels comprised of natural polymers such as chitosan, alginate, gelatin, albumin, fibrin and collagen have gained interest for their inherent biocompatibility and high permeability for water-soluble nutrients and metabolites. However, these hydrogels often lack sufficient mechanical strength, and their mechanical properties are not easily controlled. Purely synthetic polymers provide a well-defined and stable structure that is highly-controllable and tunable, but these properties are not sufficient in promoting cell functionality, which is key in biological and biomedical applications. Much effort is directed towards designing biological and synthetic hybrid hydrogels that will enable structural stability, physical control, and biological functionality. The novel technology is a new material design to improve the versatility of fibrinogen hydrogels for biomedical applications. The methacrylated fibrinogens is a family of precursor materials can be used in the clinic through minimally invasive medical procedures owing to their injectability, or they can be adapted as bioinks to the rapidly growing field of bioprinting.
Advantages
- Controlled hydrogel crosslinking
- structural stability and biological functionality
Applications and Opportunities
- Scaffold for cells for regenerative medicine and bioprinting