Advanced Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine and Tissue Engineering (3rd Edition)

Dear Colleagues,

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) is a rapidly developing field aiming to fully repair or regenerate damaged tissues/organs and restore their functions by combining advancements and experiences from both engineering and medicine. Hydrogels, three-dimensional water-swollen materials, have exhibited versatile features for TERM applications. In addition to common hydrogels being employed as biocompatible and minimally invasive scaffolds for loading drugs or cells, more advanced hydrogels presenting multifunctional properties play more important roles in improving treatment outcomes in TERM.

These advanced hydrogel properties include, but are not limited to, self-healing, environmental stimuli responsiveness, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, conductivity, etc. For example, self-healing hydrogels are promising candidates for bone and cartilage tissue engineering, as their self-healing characteristics can help them better deal with load-bearing conditions in native bone and cartilage sites. Additionally, the application of anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory hydrogels can significantly accelerate wound healing by modulating the microenvironments in chronic wounds. On the other hand, hydrogels are also an essential component of bioinks in 3D bioprinting due to being structurally similar to the extracellular matrix of human tissues. Through the adjustment of hydrogel components and mechanical properties, 3D bio-printed tissues/organs can better mimic native tissue structures and support cellular growth, differentiation, and function, thereby enhancing TERM efficacy. The purpose of this Special Issue is to summarize the progress achieved regarding advanced hydrogels within the TERM area, and encourage the discovery of new advanced hydrogels for better tissue/organ regeneration.

Dr. Wen Shi
Prof. Dr. Shixuan Chen
Dr. Bo Liu
Guest Editors

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