Advanced Gelatin Materials for Regenerative Medicine

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2027 | Viewed by 1741

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Biomedical Engineering, Regis College, 235 Wellesley Street, Weston, MA 02493-1572, USA
Interests: biomaterials; tissue engineering; gelatin; cartilage; bone; spinal cord
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Binghamton University, State University of New York (SUNY), Binghamton, NY 10001, USA
Interests: multi-organ microphysiological systems; tissue engineering; microfluidic tissue culture platforms; integrated on-chip sensing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Gelatin, a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, offers tremendous potential in tissue engineering, drug delivery, wound healing, and far beyond. This Special Issue, entitled "Advanced Gelatin Materials for Regenerative Medicine", seeks to explore the innovative applications and research advancements in gelatin-based materials for regenerative therapies. We sincerely invite you to contribute original research, reviews, research communications, and case studies that delve into novel synthesis methods, functionalization techniques, and the integration of gelatin with other biomaterials to enhance therapeutic outcomes. We aim to provide a comprehensive platform for scientists, engineers, and clinicians to share breakthroughs that could revolutionize regenerative medicine, contributing to more effective and personalized medical treatments.

Dr. Wanting Niu
Dr. Ying Wang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • biomaterials
  • gelatin-based materials
  • hydrogel
  • tissue engineering
  • regenerative medicine
  • wound repair
  • organ-on-chips
  • microfluidics
  • drug delivery
  • anti-inflammatory
  • antibacterial
  • hemostasis
  • tissue mimicking
  • 3D printing

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

16 pages, 1662 KB  
Review
Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Fibrosis: Mechanisms, Emerging Therapies, and Gelatin-Based Bioengineered Models
by Tuan Khang Nguyen, Yazan Mahmoud, Bader Ikbariyeh and Simon D. Tran
Gels 2026, 12(4), 296; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12040296 - 1 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1043
Abstract
Radiotherapy is essential for treating head and neck cancer but frequently leads to radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) in salivary glands (SGs). RIF develops through a cascade of radiation-triggered events, including DNA damage, excessive oxidative stress, and epithelial cell death. Persistent injury can cause cells [...] Read more.
Radiotherapy is essential for treating head and neck cancer but frequently leads to radiation-induced fibrosis (RIF) in salivary glands (SGs). RIF develops through a cascade of radiation-triggered events, including DNA damage, excessive oxidative stress, and epithelial cell death. Persistent injury can cause cells to become senescent and release inflammatory signals, fueling chronic inflammation. These processes activate pathways, particularly TGF-β/SMAD, resulting in fibroblast activation, myofibroblast differentiation, and extracellular matrix accumulation. Potential treatments include drugs, mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) therapy, and gene-transfer approaches. In which, MSC therapy is particularly promising as MSCs can migrate to injured tissue and support epithelial regeneration. Yet progress is limited by the difficulty of expanding human acinar cells (ACs) in vitro. To address this gap, tunable alginate–gelatin–hyaluronic acid (AGHA) bioink hydrogels have emerged as a suitable system as gelatin provides adhesion sites for AC attachment and 3D organoid formation, alginate offers tunable mechanical support through ionic crosslinking, and hyaluronic acid contributes essential cues for cell adhesion, migration, and morphogenesis. The aim of this review is to synthesize current understanding of the mechanisms driving RIF, evaluate available therapeutic strategies, and highlight the role of AGHA in generating engineered SG constructs to test MSC therapies for RIF. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Gelatin Materials for Regenerative Medicine)
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