Adhesive functionalised and controlled degrading alginate-based hydrogels

 

Investigator: Jonas Hazur (PhD Student)Jonas Hazur

phone: +49 9131 85-69608

e-mail: jonas.hazur@fau.de

 

Supervisor: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Collaborator: Dr.-Ing. Rainer Detsch

 

Alginate-based hydrogels are of special interest in wound healing, drug delivery and tissue engineering applications, due to their biocompatibility and similarity to the extracellular matrix in tissues [1]. However, untreated alginate hydrogels show limited in vivo degradation in an unpredictable manner and thus need to be functionalized in order to achieve controlled degradation rates [2,3]. The aim of this project in the framework of the DFG funded SFB/Transregio TRR 225 ("From the fundamentals of biofabrication towards functional tissue models ") (TP: A01) is the systematic investigation and optimization of functionalised alginate dialdehyde (ADA)- based hydrogels [3], including the design of the composition and the characterisation of the microstructural and mechanical properties of biofabricated (3D printed) scaffolds. Another goal is, to influence the cell-material interactions by the use of covalently bond adhesive ligands and effective cross-linking agents. In order to adapt the degradation rate, relevant parameters, such as the degree of oxidization, the concentration of the adhesive ligand or the molar mass of ADA will be investigated. The final objective is the 3D manufacturing of a hierarchical tissue scaffold containing different cell-types.

[1] Lee, K. Y. et al.; Alginate: properties and biomedical applications; Progress in Polymer Science 37; 106-126; 2012

[2] Jia, J. et al.; Engineering alginate as bioink for bioprinting; Acta Biomaterialia 10; 4323-4331; 2014

[3] Reakasame, S. et al.; Oxidized Alginate-Based Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Review; Biomacromolecules 19; 3-21; 2018.