Bio-MAX/N-Bio, Seoul National University, Daehak-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Ulsan 44919, Korea.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Mar 9;23(6):2955. doi: 10.3390/ijms23062955.
Hydrogels are hydrophilic polymer materials that provide a wide range of physicochemical properties as well as are highly biocompatible. Biomedical researchers are adapting these materials for the ever-increasing range of design options and potential applications in diagnostics and therapeutics. Along with innovative hydrogel polymer backbone developments, designing polymer additives for these backbones has been a major contributor to the field, especially for expanding the functionality spectrum of hydrogels. For the past decade, researchers invented numerous hydrogel functionalities that emerge from the rational incorporation of additives such as nucleic acids, proteins, cells, and inorganic nanomaterials. Cases of successful commercialization of such functional hydrogels are being reported, thus driving more translational research with hydrogels. Among the many hydrogels, here we reviewed recently reported functional hydrogels incorporated with polymer additives. We focused on those that have potential in translational medicine applications which range from diagnostic sensors as well as assay and drug screening to therapeutic actuators as well as drug delivery and implant. We discussed the growing trend of facile point-of-care diagnostics and integrated smart platforms. Additionally, special emphasis was given to emerging bioinformatics functionalities stemming from the information technology field, such as DNA data storage and anti-counterfeiting strategies. We anticipate that these translational purpose-driven polymer additive research studies will continue to advance the field of functional hydrogel engineering.
水凝胶是一种亲水性聚合物材料，具有广泛的物理化学性质，同时具有高度的生物相容性。生物医学研究人员正在适应这些材料，以满足不断增加的设计选择和在诊断和治疗方面的潜在应用。除了创新的水凝胶聚合物骨架发展外，为这些骨架设计聚合物添加剂也是该领域的主要贡献者，特别是为了扩大水凝胶的功能谱。在过去的十年中，研究人员发明了许多水凝胶功能，这些功能源自添加剂如核酸、蛋白质、细胞和无机纳米材料的合理掺入。成功实现商业化的功能性水凝胶的案例正在被报道，从而推动了更多的水凝胶转化研究。在众多水凝胶中，我们在这里综述了最近报道的含有聚合物添加剂的功能性水凝胶。我们重点关注那些在转化医学应用中具有潜力的水凝胶，这些应用范围从诊断传感器、分析和药物筛选到治疗执行器以及药物输送和植入物。我们讨论了便捷的即时诊断和集成智能平台的发展趋势。此外，特别强调了源自信息技术领域的新兴生物信息学功能，如 DNA 数据存储和防伪策略。我们预计，这些以转化为导向的聚合物添加剂研究将继续推动功能性水凝胶工程领域的发展。
