Issue 45, 2015

Injectable hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) and derivatives as functional biomaterials

Abstract

Hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and derivatives have attracted significant interest in recent years given their capacity to be well-tolerated in vivo in the context of drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. Injectable, in situ-gelling analogues of such hydrogels offer the additional advantages of being easy and non-invasive to administer via the injection of low-viscosity precursor polymer solutions, expanding their scope of potential applications. In this highlight, we first review the design criteria associated with the rational design of in situ-gelling hydrogels for in vivo applications. We then discuss recent progress in the design of injectable PEG hydrogels, specifically highlighting our ongoing work on PEG-analogue hydrogels based on poly(oligoethylene glycol methacrylate) for targeted biomedical applications.

Graphical abstract: Injectable hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) and derivatives as functional biomaterials

  • This article is part of the themed collection: Biomaterials

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
01 noy 2014
Accepted
10 apr 2015
First published
13 apr 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 35469-35486

Injectable hydrogels based on poly(ethylene glycol) and derivatives as functional biomaterials

E. Bakaic, N. M. B. Smeets and T. Hoare, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 35469 DOI: 10.1039/C4RA13581D

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