Feature Papers in “Bio-Engineered Materials” Section

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Bio-Engineered Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 357

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Guest Editor
Department of Materials Engineering Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka 560-8531, Japan
Interests: tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; bioprinting; enzymatic hydrogelation; polysaccharide; hydrogel; drug delivery; cancer model
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bio-engineered materials have become an important part of research at the interface of materials science, biology, and medicine. These materials are developed to serve structural, physicochemical, or biological functions in biological environments, including the cellular microenvironment. This Special Issue, Feature Papers in “Bio-Engineered Materials” Section, brings together papers that reflect the breadth of this field, from fundamental material design to biologically relevant applications. Topics of interest include functional biomaterials, bioactive and bioinspired materials, hydrogels, biofabrication, drug and biomolecule delivery, biointerfaces, and materials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. We especially welcome studies that deepen our mechanistic understanding, address important biological questions, or support future biomedical translation.

Prof. Dr. Shinji Sakai
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • bio-engineered materials
  • functional biomaterials
  • biofabrication
  • hydrogels
  • biointerfaces
  • tissue engineering
  • regenerative medicine
  • polymers
  • polysaccharides
  • proteins

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 6820 KB  
Article
Functional Group Chemistry Modulates Cellular Responses to Soluble Gelatin Derivatives Independent of Crosslinking
by Pekik Wiji Prasetyaningrum and Shinji Sakai
Biomolecules 2026, 16(6), 836; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom16060836 - 5 Jun 2026
Viewed by 201
Abstract
Gelatin functionalized with methacrylate (GelMA), norbornene (GelNB), and phenol (GelPH) has been studied as a precursor for crosslinkable biomaterials in tissue engineering. Cytocompatibility is usually assessed post-hydrogel formation, but cells briefly encounter soluble precursors during preparation and residual functional groups that may remain [...] Read more.
Gelatin functionalized with methacrylate (GelMA), norbornene (GelNB), and phenol (GelPH) has been studied as a precursor for crosslinkable biomaterials in tissue engineering. Cytocompatibility is usually assessed post-hydrogel formation, but cells briefly encounter soluble precursors during preparation and residual functional groups that may remain post-gelation. However, the biological effects of these uncrosslinked derivatives remain poorly understood. This study systematically investigated the impact of functional group chemistry on cellular responses under uncrosslinking conditions. Four cell lines, including fibroblasts (BALB/3T3), cervical cancer cells (HeLa), mesenchymal stem cells (UE7T-13), and neuronal cells (PC-12), were exposed to soluble GelMA, GelNB, and GelPH at matched polymer concentrations and degrees of functionalization (~50%). The results showed no overt cytotoxicity. The detectable differences were subtle and strongly cell type-dependent. HeLa and PC-12 cells showed no clear differences from untreated controls in most parameters. BALB/3T3 fibroblasts showed mainly GelMA-associated differences in mitochondrial activity, proliferation, and morphology. In the UE7T-13 cells, GelMA-treated cells showed the largest deviations from controls across the readouts examined, including mitochondrial activity, cell area, phenotype-related gene expression, and some osteogenic markers, while GelPH was intermediate and GelNB was comparable to controls. These findings underscore the importance of considering residual precursor effects in gelatin-based biomaterial design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers in “Bio-Engineered Materials” Section)
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