Rational Design and Applications of Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine
A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 53
Special Issue Editors
2. Department of Excellence in Robotics & AI, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Piazza Martiri della Libertà, 33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Interests: advanced biomaterials design; hydrogels; cartilage and bone; musculoskeletal tissue; mechanical, rheological, and tribological characterization; advanced biofabrication techniques; nanomaterials; tissue engineering; regenerative medicine
Interests: osteo-articular tissue physiology; osteoarthritis; cells and biomaterials; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
This Special Issue on “Rational Design and Applications of Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine” focuses on recent advancements in the synthesis, characterization, and application of advanced hydrogels within regenerative medicine. Various tissue targets, including soft tissues, cartilage, bone, and overall musculoskeletal tissues, will be discussed. The goal is to gather works that design advanced biomaterials in the form of hydrogels for specific applications after carefully examining the target tissue characteristics.
Hydrogels can be tailored for different approaches in regenerative medicine, including tissue regeneration, tissue substitution, and in vitro 3D models. The traditional method for tissue regeneration involves using hydrogels with embedded cells and growth factors, often combined with external biophysical stimuli (e.g., electrical, mechanical-like ultrasounds). In contrast, tissue substitution aims to replicate specific anatomical properties of target tissues, like mechanical properties, typically without embedded cells. In vitro models represent the new frontier for studying disease development or tissue/drug interaction, replacing in vivo animal models, in response to the 3R principles. All these approaches will be considered in this Special Issue.
To advance this field, interdisciplinary efforts are required to enhance our understanding of tissue features that influence hydrogel behavior, allowing us to tailor material properties effectively. A thorough characterization of produced hydrogels is essential, covering physical, chemical, and morphological analysis, rheology, mechanical and tribological properties, and biocompatibility assessments. Submissions incorporating advanced biofabrication techniques (e.g., extrusion-based 3D bioprinting, melt electro-writing, solution electro-writing) or technologies evaluating new matrix formation (i.e., Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR) are highly encouraged.
As it is impossible to cover all aspects of hydrogel science in one issue, this Special Issue will feature some representative examples that illustrate the complexities of target tissue regeneration. It is hoped that these topics will stimulate new research and discoveries in the synthetic and natural hydrogel field, grounded in the characteristics of the tissue targets.
Dr. Diego Trucco
Dr. Gina Lisignoli
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- advanced biomaterials
- hydrogel design
- hydrogel functionalization
- hydrogel characterization
- tissue regeneration
- tissue substitution
- in vitro models
- regenerative medicine
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