Advanced Functional Hydrogels for Chronic Wound Healing and Skin Regeneration
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 2322
Special Issue Editor
Interests: hydrogels; tissue regeneration; bioinks; 3D printing; drug screening
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Chronic wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure sores, represent a significant and growing clinical challenge worldwide. Their complex pathophysiology—characterized by persistent inflammation, bacterial infection, impaired angiogenesis, and a failure to re-epithelialize—renders conventional treatments often inadequate. In this context, advanced hydrogels have emerged as a cornerstone of next-generation wound care strategies. Their unique properties, including their high water content, tunable physical structure, and biocompatibility, provide an ideal, moist, wound-healing environment.
This Special Issue, "Advanced Functional Hydrogels for Chronic Wound Healing and Skin Regeneration," aims to showcase the latest breakthroughs in the design, fabrication, and application of smart hydrogel platforms. We seek to highlight research that moves beyond passive dressings to active, therapeutic systems. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Smart and Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels: Systems that respond to wound microenvironment cues (e.g., pH, enzyme, glucose, temperature) for on-demand drug release;
- Bioactive Hydrogels: The incorporation of growth factors, antimicrobial peptides, antioxidants, or exosomes to promote angiogenesis, combat infection, and modulate inflammation;
- Engineered Biomimetic Hydrogels: Scaffolds that replicate the biochemical and mechanical properties of the native extracellular matrix to guide cell proliferation and migration;
- 3D-Bioprinted and Structured Hydrogels: The fabrication of sophisticated wound dressings or skin constructs using 3D printing and other advanced manufacturing techniques;
- Self-Healing and Injectable Hydrogels: Minimally invasive formulations that can fill irregular wound cavities and maintain integrity under dynamic conditions;
- Antimicrobial and Anti-biofilm Strategies: Hydrogels integrated with novel antimicrobial agents, nanoparticles, or physical mechanisms to address multidrug-resistant bacteria and biofilms;
- In Vitro Wound Models: The development of hydrogel-based platforms for studying chronic wound mechanisms and screening new therapeutics.
We invite the submission of original research articles, comprehensive reviews, and short communications that contribute to advancing this critical field and improving patient outcomes.
Prof. Dr. Bae Hoon Lee
Guest Editor
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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 2100 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.
Keywords
- hydrogels
- chronic wound healing
- skin regeneration
- drug delivery
- antimicrobial
- 3D bioprinting
- bioactive scaffolds
- diabetic foot ulcer
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