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Gels
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Advanced Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2nd Edition)
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Advanced Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2nd Edition)

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 November 2026 | Viewed by 3586

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Wanjun Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Textiles, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, China
Interests: biomaterials; islet encapsulation; bioprinting; hydrogels; nanofibers; textiles
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels for biomedical applications are a rapidly evolving field within biomaterials science, involving expertise from materials science, chemistry, biology, and medicine. Hydrogels are three-dimensional (3D) network structures formed by hydrophilic polymer chains that can swell in water without dissolving. They have gained significant attention for various biomedical applications due to their tunable properties, biocompatibility, and ability to mimic the extracellular matrix.

Researchers are continuously exploring new methods to enhance the properties and functionalities of hydrogels for biomedical applications. By incorporating advanced materials, such as nanoparticles, proteins, or peptides, into hydrogel matrices, novel functionalities and applications are being discovered.

The 2nd edition of this Special Issue will still cover current research progress on developing advanced hydrogels for drug delivery, tissue engineering, wound healing, bioimaging, sensing and diagnostics, and other new applications.

The first edition was viewed 9800+ times, which included eight published papers, and can be accessed via the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/gels/special_issues/JF1087V822.

Prof. Dr. Wanjun Liu
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
  • drug delivery
  • tissue engineering
  • bioimaging
  • sensing and diagnostics

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 6757 KB  
Article
A New Cardiac Decellularized Extracellular Matrix (dECM)-Based Hydrogel: From Its Development with a Standardized Myocardial Decellularization Procedure to In Vitro Model Applications
by Giacomo Bernava, Martina Boaron, Golnar Abdalvand, Massimo Marchesan, Francesco Tona, Giovanni Civieri, Isabella Bondani, Gianluca Bacchiega and Laura Iop
Gels 2026, 12(2), 115; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels12020115 - 28 Jan 2026
Viewed by 1585
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for reliable in vitro models that recapitulate the complexity of the native myocardium. Conventional two-dimensional (2D) cultures lack structural and biochemical complexity, whereas in vivo models are costly, raise ethical [...] Read more.
Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide, underscoring the urgent need for reliable in vitro models that recapitulate the complexity of the native myocardium. Conventional two-dimensional (2D) cultures lack structural and biochemical complexity, whereas in vivo models are costly, raise ethical concerns, and have poor translational potential. In this study, we developed a novel hydrogel scaffold derived from decellularized porcine ventricular myocardium (dECM). A newly optimized decellularization strategy effectively removed cellular and nuclear components while preserving essential extracellular matrix proteins. The dECM-based hydrogel exhibited reproducible self-crosslinking, gelation kinetics, and stability. Cytocompatibility assays using human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells demonstrated excellent viability and proliferation upon contact with the biomaterial. Multidimensional hydrogel applications (2.5D and 3D) in vitro revealed higher cell densities than those observed under 2D conditions. Moreover, using human umbilical vein endothelial cells, the dECM-based hydrogel proved to be a valid tool for fabricating cardiovascular in vitro models. As such, this cardiac dECM-based hydrogel is a structurally preserved, biocompatible platform that supports both short- and long-term cell culture. The scaffold has the potential to serve promising applications in cardiac tissue engineering, disease modeling, and cardiotoxicity screening by offering a closer mimicry of the native myocardial environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2nd Edition))
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17 pages, 5529 KB  
Article
Formulation of PVA Hydrogel Patch as a Drug Delivery System of Albumin Nanoparticles Loaded with Curcumin
by Lyubomira Radeva, Aleksandar Belchev, Parsa Karimi Dardashti, Yordan Yordanov, Ivanka Spassova, Daniela Kovacheva, Mariya Spasova, Petar D. Petrov, Virginia Tzankova and Krassimira Yoncheva
Gels 2025, 11(12), 979; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11120979 - 5 Dec 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1716
Abstract
Curcumin is a widely researched natural molecule due to its abundance of pharmacological effects, such as antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, etc. The main limitation of curcumin, however, is its low aqueous solubility, which worsens its biopharmaceutical characteristics. The aim of this study was to [...] Read more.
Curcumin is a widely researched natural molecule due to its abundance of pharmacological effects, such as antioxidant, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, etc. The main limitation of curcumin, however, is its low aqueous solubility, which worsens its biopharmaceutical characteristics. The aim of this study was to encapsulate curcumin in albumin nanoparticles and to subsequently incorporate them into a polyvinyl alcohol patch, resulting in a new drug formulation for skin application. The nanoparticles were characterized by a small mean diameter of approximately 162 nm, a narrow size distribution, and a negative zeta potential. TEM confirmed the small size of the nanoparticles. The ratio between the drug and albumin was optimized, achieving approximately 88% encapsulation efficiency. Protein–ligand docking, utilizing CB-Dock, indicated a strong interaction between curcumin and albumin. The binding between the molecules was proved via diffuse-reflectance UV–vis and XRD analyses. The encapsulated curcumin showed a significantly potentiated scavenging activity against ABTS and DPPH radicals in comparison with the pure drug, as well as a protective effect in H2O2-induced oxidative stress in fibroblasts. The loaded nanoparticles were further incorporated in a PVA hydrogel patch, which was characterized in terms of mechanical properties and in vitro release. Therefore, the resulting system could provide more effective skin delivery and an improved antioxidant activity of curcumin. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications (2nd Edition))
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