BIOGEL — Engineering responsive and biomimetic hydrogels for biomedical therapeutic and diagnostic applications

Results in brief

Engineering responsive and biomimetic hydrogels for biomedical therapeutic and diagnostic applications

A large library of building blocks was established, ranging from the molecular level, such as bicyclic peptides, engineered elastin-like recombinamers (ELRs), and modified polymers, to microscale elements, such as microgels. A combination of these biological and synthetic building blocks were applied to construct hybrid macroscopic biointegrative coatings, tissue engineering constructs, and diagnostic devices. The bottom-up synthetic approach to create these novel materials enables easy adjustment for a wide range of applications. Within the project, we discovered new types of highly selective bicyclic peptides for cell adhesion, which were incorporated in 3 different types of three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels, leading to improved cell spreading and growth. Regenerative materials are important to heal damaged or injured tissues in the body. One example is articular cartilage injury, which is a serious clinical problem as it can lead to disabilities and high health care costs when untreated. Within Biogel, different injectable gels were designed to fill irregular cavities and support cell growth and regeneration. However, many hydrogels for 3D cell culture do not efficiently mimic the biological environment of a cell, including the open porous architecture and the mechanical properties. Here, we developed dynamic hydrogels, which can adjust to the needs of the cells and growing tissues, and were employed to study the mechanobiology involved in the interaction between cells and their substrates. In addition to larger hydrogels, small cell-loaden micron-scale microgels were produced, which can be injected as cell transplant. The microgels protect the cells and reduce their migration away from the injury site. In addition to 3D regenerative materials, medical polymer coatings were tested to improve the efficiency of glucose sensors. Moreover, new types of hydrogel-based biosensors were developed that comprise metallic nanostructures and responsive hydrogel architectures to target analytes present in complex biological fluids.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

BIOGEL is set up to educate young scientists to develop innovative hydrogel chemistries and systems for biomedical applications. The first objective is to provide a platform for young researchers to undergo a well-rounded PhD education, particularly focussed on translational skills for a career focused in biomedical research and medical technology development. The second objective is to engineer functional and responsive hydrogels, which resemble specific properties of the extracellular matrix. The third objective is (i) to enhance the efficacy of medical devices by 2D biointegrative coatings that direct and orchestrate the interface to living cells and tissue and enable improved integration within the body, (ii) to advance therapeutic measures by 3D templates for tissue repair, and (iii) to enable new diagnostic tools by responsive diagnostic hydrogels. BIOGEL follows an international, interdisciplinary, and intersectoral approach organized in 9 and 8 interwoven work and training packages respectively. The training and research parts are focused on synthetic and biohybrid macromolecules to build clinically translatable hydrogels with specific, application directed bioactivities. In order to enable efficient biohybridisation and minimal invasive application, emphasis is set on in situ gelation of precursors that do not affect the viability of cells and living tissue and that can interlink bioactive subunits to stimulate tissue regeneration, and serve as a functional component in biomedical devices. Structural incorporation of such units must be flexible, dynamic, and responsive to stimuli. This is directed to enhance cell behavior and receptor interaction, tailor the mechanical properties, and enable spatial, temporal, and topographical control of functional components. Translational aspects focus on coatings of medical devices, diagnostic hydrogels, cartilage and bone repair, tissue engineering for cardiovascular implants, and nerve regeneration.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

DWI LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FUR INTERAKTIVE MATERIALIEN EV · AachenCoordinatorGermany
AIT AUSTRIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY GMBH · WienAustria
ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE · LausanneSwitzerland
ETHNIKO KENTRO EREVNAS KAI TECHNOLOGIKIS ANAPTYXIS · THERMI THESSALONIKIGreece
LIFETEC GROUP BV · EINDHOVENNetherlands
NovioSense BV · NijmegenNetherlands
PEPSCAN THERAPEUTICS BV · LelystadNetherlands
STICHTING RADBOUD UNIVERSITEIT · NijmegenNetherlands
SYNOLYNE PHARMA · HERSTALBelgium
TECHNICAL PROTEINS NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY SL · VALLADOLIDSpain
THE TRUSTEES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA CORP · PhiladelphiaUnited States
THE UNIVERSITY OF OSAKA · OsakaJapan
UNIVERSIDAD DE VALLADOLID · VALLADOLIDSpain

BIOGEL · Engineering responsive and biomimetic hydrogels for biomedical therapeutic and diagnostic applications

Results in brief

Engineering responsive and biomimetic hydrogels for biomedical therapeutic and diagnostic applications

Project objective

Participants

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