Designing Cell-Compatible Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Designer Hydrogels

Hydrogels, which consist of highly water swollen cross-linked polymer networks, can now be made with a range of chemistries and a combination of physical and chemical cross-links. They can also be designed to degrade gradually when exposed to chemical or biological signals and are thus finding use in a wide range of applications, including tissue engineering and drug delivery. Seliktar (p. 1124 ) reviews recent advances in tailoring hydrogels with specific properties and their applications to biology and medicine.