Viscoelastic Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 April 2022) | Viewed by 2686
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue on “Viscoelastic Gels in Tissue Regeneration” is dedicated to recent developments in the synthesis, characterization, and regenerative medicine applications of viscoelastic gels.
Biological soft tissues are typically viscoelastic and exhibit characteristic stress relaxation at different time scales. For ideal regenerative medicine, the implant should have appropriate mechanical properties that match the biological tissue and facilitate new tissue in replacing the implant to achieve tissue repair. Driven by clinical desire, research on viscoelastic hydrogels has shown explosive growth in recent years. Crosslinking through dynamic bonds (ionic bonds, dynamic covalent bonds, van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, etc.) offers viscoelastic hydrogels with different characteristic time scales. However, the mechanical cues that cells perceive in 3D are complexly coupled. The existing hydrogel system cannot achieve precise and independent control of multiple factors (stiffness, viscoelasticity, porosity, degradation, etc.). Hydrogel viscoelasticity has been proven to regulate cell proliferation, spreading, and differentiation independently of other mechanical cues such as stiffness. To date, these studies mostly focus on the single-cell level, and the regulation of hydrogel viscoelasticity on biological processes at different spatial and temporal scales needs to be further explored. Further, the injectability of hydrogels endowed by the dynamic bond is considered to be beneficial for minimally invasive injection therapy. Although attention has been paid to this topic, research on the effects of hydrogel viscoelasticity on cell mechanical and physiological functions is still scarce.
We believe that advanced viscoelastic hydrogels will greatly promote the development of regenerative medicine and help people to gain a deeper understanding of biological processes. We look forward to the submission of new results on viscoelastic hydrogels. The submission of both advanced gel synthesis and biomedical application is welcome.
Dr. Zhao Wei
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- viscoelasticity
- dynamic/adaptable hydrogels
- cellular microenvironments
- mechanobiology
- regenerative medicine
