Microgels and Microgel Assemblies in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 160
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Microgels, also known as hydrogel microspheres, ranging from tens to hundreds of microns in size, are a type of hydrogel characterized by their injectability and high specific surface area. They cater to the demands of minimally invasive therapies and allow for rapid substance transport. To better accommodate the void of issue defects, microgels can be assembled through various interactions, forming macroscopic microgel assemblies. Compared with traditional bulk hydrogels, microgel assembly shows three unique characteristics, namely, microporosity, injectability, and heterogeneity. The as-formed microgels and microgel assemblies show broad application prospects as carriers for cell culture and cell behavior regulation, scaffolds for tissue repair and regeneration, bioinks, and support media for 3D printing.
For this Special Issue of Polymers, we focus on the synthesis of microgels/microgel assemblies and their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Specifically, this encompasses polymer modification, cross-linking reactions, fabrication techniques, and the physicochemical properties of microgels. It also entails assembly strategies involving a diverse range of physical and chemical reactions for microgel assemblies. It highlights their applications as carriers for cell culture and cell behavior regulation, scaffolds for tissue repair and regeneration, bioinks, and support mediums for 3D printing. This Special Issue provides a fundamental guide for those who are interested in microgels and microgel assemblies.
Dr. Qi Feng
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 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. Polymers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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 2700 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
- microgels
- microgel assembly
- 3D printing
- tissue engineering
- regenerative medicine
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.
