Biofunctional Hydrogels for Biofabrication in Tissue Engineering
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 50
Special Issue Editors
Interests: bioactive hydrogels; cell-instructive biomaterials; 3D bioprinting; biofabrication; bioinks; organs-on-a-chip; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine
Interests: tissue engineering (bone, cartilage, dental, cardiovascular, skin); in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility evaluation of biomaterials, scaffolds and nanoparticles; development of osteoinductive and osteoconductive biomaterials and scaffolds; investigation of the osteogenic potential of implantable biomaterials and drugs; functionalization of biomaterials with growth factors; biomechanics; 3D (bio)printing technologies; electrospinning; biofabrication
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Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Hydrogels comprising polysaccharides, proteins, biocompatible synthetic polymers, as well as their composites with active inorganic compounds are most promising for advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Their highly hydrated structure, tunable mechanics, and ability to incorporate bioactive signals enable them to closely mimic the extracellular matrix and create instructive three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments for cell growth and tissue repair. In recent years, the development of biofunctional hydrogels, engineered to deliver bioactive molecules that elicit specific cellular functions by responding to mechanical or biochemical cues or exhibit antimicrobial activity, has opened exciting new avenues in tissue engineering and biofabrication for clinical translation.
This Special Issue aims to bring together the latest advances in biofunctional hydrogel design, smart and stimuli-responsive systems, and bioinks for 3D bioprinting and organ-on-a-chip models. We particularly welcome contributions that highlight the rational design of hydrogels with tailored physicochemical, mechanical, rheological and biological properties, as well as studies demonstrating their application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Articles addressing biofunctionalization strategies, dynamic and mechanoresponsive scaffolds, and translational approaches using clinically relevant models are especially encouraged.
We invite original research papers, reviews, and communications that will inspire innovative strategies and accelerate the clinical impact of biofunctional hydrogels in regenerative medicine.
Dr. Varvara Platania
Prof. Dr. Maria Chatzinikolaidou
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
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
- biofunctional hydrogels
- tissue engineering
- regenerative medicine
- 3D bioprinting
- bioinks
- stimuli-responsive biomaterials
- translational biomaterials
- biofabrication
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