Designing degradable hydrogels for orthogonal control of cell microenvironments

Degradable and cell-compatible hydrogels can be designed to mimic the physical and biochemical characteristics of native extracellular matrices and provide tunability of degradation rates and related properties under physiological conditions. Hence, such hydrogels are finding widespread application in many bioengineering fields, including controlled bioactive molecule delivery, cell encapsulation for controlled three-dimensional culture, and tissue engineering. Cellular processes, such as adhesion, proliferation, spreading, migration, and differentiation, can be controlled within degradable, cell-compatible hydrogels with temporal tuning of biochemical or biophysical cues, such as growth factor presentation or…

• NS
  National Science Foundation

  Award: CAREER
• NA
  National Aeronautics and Space Administration
• UO
  University of Delaware Research Foundation
• UO
  University of Delaware
• CI
  California Institute of Technology
• UO
  University of Georgia
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Award: P20GM103541
• UO
  University of Massachusetts Amherst
• ND
  National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate
• NI
  National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

  Award: R01DC011377A
• NI
  National Institute of General Medical Sciences

  Award: P20GM103541