Smart Hydrogels in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 July 2022) | Viewed by 9774
Special Issue Editors
2. AMIBM-Aachen-Maastricht-Institute for Biobased Materials, Maastricht University, 186260 Geleen, The Netherlands
Interests: biohybrid and medical textiles; gas exchange membranes; pre-vascularization
Interests: elastin-like polypeptides; silk; protein polymers; bioprocessing; tissue engineering; cardiovascular implants
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The limited capability of humans to self-heal and self-repair has been met with the development of engineered scaffolds to replace damaged tissue and organs. Of particular interest among tissue replacements are “smart hydrogels”. On one hand, the term “hydrogel” refers to the capability of a system to retain aqueous media while maintaining a defined three-dimensional structure. On the other hand, the term “smart” evokes the capability of the system to sense the environment in which it is located, and to experience changes accordingly.
A smart hydrogel intended as tissue replacement should interact with the complex environment of the human body (e.g., including parameters such as pH, temperature, biological cues), and subsequently elicit a response that can facilitate tissue restoration. In addition to the intrinsic milieu of the human body, external stimulation (e.g., electric and magnetic fields) can also be used as a tool to modulate the hydrogel performance.
The consecution of relevant “smart hydrogel”-based implants requires a deep understanding of (i) the intricate environment of the human body, and (ii) the “cross-talk” between the tissue replacement and the native tissue. An additional pivotal aspect to progress in this mission is the development of dedicated materials, able to accurately response to relevant stimuli with prospects of its application in tissue regeneration.
This Special Issue aims to highlight current progress in “smart hydrogel”-driven strategies in tissue restoration and to expand our understanding of how to modulate material–host interaction.
Prof. Dr. Stefan Jockenhoevel
Dr. Alicia Fernandez-Colino
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.
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
