Advances in the Preparation and Application of Bio-Based Hydrogels

Dear Colleagues,

We live in a time of regular emergence of new diseases, including cancer as the most dangerous. In this regard, the goal of modern developments is to produce methods and tools related to personalized types of diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Most drug delivery systems are products of chemical synthesis, which makes it possible to reduce their cost but does not guarantee a high therapeutic effect and greatly reduces their biocompatibility.

One of the optimal solutions is the creation of targeted drug delivery systems based on biopolymers. The basis is hydrogels—colloidal systems that have an amazing variety of physicochemical properties and chemical compositions. Ideal target systems include hydrogels with driven changing properties, controlled loading, and release of the active substance. In addition to the above examples, hydrogels can be used as implantable materials for severe injuries of soft tissues.

We sincerely invite you to take part in the creation of a Special Issue of the journal Polymers, dedicated to the creation and study of complex hydrogels based on molecules of biological origin. In our opinion, works devoted to the creation of various materials from nano- to large bulk systems are of contemporary interest. Hydrogels can consist of both one type of molecules and polyelectrolyte complexes and composite systems. A detailed description of the material-formation methods should be accompanied by their comprehensive study. We would like all your works to be accompanied by experiments that are as close as possible to real medical and biotechnological practices.

We will be glad to see you among the authors of the Special Issue “Advances in the Preparation and Application of Bio-Based Hydrogels”.

Dr. Vladimir Silant'ev
Prof. Dr. Irina Perminova
Dr. Vadim V. Kumeiko
Dr. Ivan Kelnar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• hydrogels (nano-, micro-, bulk)
• implants
• drugs delivery
• drugs storage
• rheological systems
• gelation techniques
• stabilization
• structure and mechanical properties
• biopolymers