Multi-Functional Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

Hydrogels are widely used in biomedical applications, such as biosensing, drug delivery, pharmaceutics, and tissue engineering. In order to account for the complexities of biological systems, these materials must be adaptable to specific purposes with efficiency, precision, and versatility. Therefore, the focus of my research has been geared towards engineering multi-functional hydrogels by synthesizing novel biopolymers and utilizing microfabrication techniques. In this presentation, several topics related to hydrogel microfabrication will be covered, including (1) oxidized methacrylic alginate (OMA) to develop hydrogels whose mechanical, diffusional, and degradation rate can be controlled independently, (2) polyaspartamide-based linkers that conjugate bio-functional moieties (e.g. peptides, proteins) in a single step to a material of choice for specific biological responses, (3) fabrication of core-shell microgels using a microfluidic device, and (4) fabrication of three dimensional tissue constructs using a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD)-based 3D printing technique