Hydrogels: Properties and Applications in Medicine

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are at the forefront of biomedical innovation, offering unique opportunities to bridge material science and medicine. Their remarkable water retention, biocompatibility, and tunable properties make them ideal platforms for applications such as targeted drug delivery, wound healing, diagnostics, and regenerative medicine. With the integration of nanotechnology, hydrogels have entered an exciting new phase: nanomaterial-enhanced hydrogels and photoactive nanogels now enable smarter, multifunctional systems with improved responsiveness, precision, and therapeutic outcomes. These advances open possibilities for controlled drug release, photothermal and photodynamic therapies, and next-generation tissue engineering strategies.

The Special Issue “Hydrogels: Properties and Applications in Medicine” invites authors to contribute original research articles, communications, and reviews that explore the design, synthesis, characterization, and biomedical applications of hydrogels and nanogels. Topics of interest include smart and stimuli-responsive hydrogels, nanocomposite hydrogels, photoactive nanogels, and their translation into clinical practice. This Special Issue aims to provide a dynamic platform for showcasing the latest developments and fostering interdisciplinary collaboration between chemists, materials scientists, engineers, and biomedical researchers.

We encourage you to share your latest findings and innovative perspectives to advance the growing field of hydrogel-based technologies and their transformative role in modern medicine.

Dr. Wanessa C.M.A. Melo
Dr. Arunas Stirke
Guest Editors

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.