Hydrogel Nanoparticles
Hydrogel Nanoparticles - Related Videos
07:25
Collagen Hydrogels
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2023
Collagen is another widely used biomaterial that has found popularity in commercial applications, such as photography. Collagen has more recently been used in tissue engineering applications, by creating hydrogels that provide structure to engineered tissue. This video introduces collagen as a biomaterial, demonstrates how it is harvested from porcine skin, and shows how the material is used to create a hydrogel for tissue engineering applications. Finally, several applications of the material...
08:33
Hydrogel Synthesis
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2023
Source: Amber N. Barron, Ashlea Patterson, and Taylor D. Sparks, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT Hydrogels are a versatile class of cross-linked polymers produced through relatively simple procedures and with generally inexpensive materials. They can be formed from solution and involve a polymer backbone formed from monomer reagents, an initiator which makes the polymer reactive and a crosslinking species which binds the polymer chains...
10:05
Hydrogel Nanoparticle Harvesting of Plasma or Urine for Detecting Low Abundance Proteins
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Cited by 11 •
2014
Several pathological biomarkers cannot be easily detected by current techniques because of their low concentration in biological fluids, the presence of degrading enzymes, and large amounts of high molecular weight proteins. Chemically functionalized hydrogel nanoparticles can harvest, preserve and concentrate low abundance proteins enabling the detection of previously undetectable biomarkers.
09:47
FRET Imaging in Three-dimensional Hydrogels
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Cited by 3 •
2016
Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging is a powerful tool for real-time cell biology studies. Here a method for FRET imaging cells in physiologic three-dimensional (3D) hydrogel microenvironments using conventional epifluorescence microscopy is presented. An analysis for ratiometric FRET probes that yields linear ratios over the activation range is described.
09:39
Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications
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Cited by 25 •
2021
This protocol describes the synthesis and formulation of injectable, supramolecular polymer-nanoparticle (PNP) hydrogel biomaterials. Applications of these materials for drug delivery, biopharmaceutical stabilization, and cell encapsulation and delivery are demonstrated.
FAQs
Crosslinks act as structural constraints within the polymer network. By controlling this network, researchers can influence water retention, particle size, porosity, surface properties, and degradation. These design variables determine how the material behaves in biological studies and help match a particle to a desired delivery or transport role.
Release depends on how the network swells, how readily molecules diffuse through it, and whether environmental conditions alter its behavior. Researchers can load therapeutic molecules into the network and use these mechanisms to influence their movement out of the particle. This provides a basis for studying controlled delivery rather than unrestricted cargo dispersal.
These properties govern how hydrogel nanoparticles interact with their surroundings and how effectively they can localize or transport cargo. Porosity affects the network pathways available to molecules, while size and surface characteristics can be tuned for a particular biological study. Together, they help researchers design particles that protect sensitive cargo and support targeted experimental purposes.
Environmental responsiveness provides an additional way to regulate particle behavior after loading. When conditions alter the hydrogel network, swelling, diffusion, or degradation may change, affecting how cargo is released. This feature allows researchers to investigate delivery systems whose behavior depends on the biological environment rather than relying only on a fixed release pattern.
Researchers load therapeutic molecules or other biomolecules into the hydrogel network, where the hydrated structure can help protect sensitive cargo. The particles can then support transport and controlled release through swelling, diffusion, or environmental responses. In biology, this approach is useful when localization and preservation of the transported material are important experimental goals.
Hydrogel nanoparticles support several biological research areas, including controlled drug delivery, biomolecule transport, imaging, biosensing, and tissue-engineering studies. Their tunable size, surface properties, porosity, and degradation allow investigators to adapt the particles to different experimental needs. The resulting systems can be examined for cargo localization, protection, sensing-related behavior, or compatibility with tissue-focused research.