Programming protein-based hydrogels: towards on-demand biodegradation (Degradati-on/off) (R-13271)

The progress made over the past decades within the field of tissue engineering can mainly be attributed to the development of cell-interactive hydrogels. Such materials are no longer considered to be static scaffolds, as the research focus has instead shifted towards dynamic materials that can answer the needs of the developing tissue. The ideal scaffold should provide adequate mechanical support for the developing tissue and should therefore degrade at a rate corresponding to the rate of tissue formation. However, active control over the degradation rate remains a challenging objective. In this project, we will translate the principles of prodrug development to materials chemistry to enable direct control over the onset point of degradation, which may open up new avenues towards the development of dynamic biomaterials.

Keywords:Biodegradation, Bioorthogonal chemistry, hydrogels

Disciplines:Chemical characterisation of materials, Synthesis of materials, Characterisation of biologically active (macro)molecules, Bio-organic chemistry