Modular Multifunctional Poly(ethylene glycol) Hydrogels for Stem Cell Differentiation |
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| Authors: | Anirudha Singh Jianan Zhan Zhaoyang Ye Jennifer H. Elisseeff |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Wilmer Eye Institute & Department of Biomedical Engineering, 400 N. Broadway, Robert H. & Clarice Smith Building, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA;2. The State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering, School of Bioengineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai‐200237, China |
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| Abstract: | Synthetic polymers are employed to create highly defined microenvironments with controlled biochemical and biophysical properties for cell culture and tissue engineering. Chemical modification is required to input biological or chemical ligands, which often changes the fundamental structural properties of the material. Here, a simple modular biomaterial design strategy is reported that employs functional cyclodextrin nanobeads threaded onto poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymer necklaces to form multifunctional hydrogels. Nanobeads with desired chemical or biological functionalities can be simply threaded onto the PEG chains to form hydrogels, creating an accessible platform for users. The design and synthesis of these multifunctional hydrogels are described, structure‐property relationships are elucidated, and applications ranging from stem cell culture and differentiation to tissue engineering are demonstrated. |
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| Keywords: | functional biomaterials poly(ethylene glycol) α ‐cyclodextrin tissue engineering hydrogels |
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