Hierarchically cross-linked hydrogels: theoretical and experimental design for biomedical applications

I am pleased to announce that by the decision of the Polish National Science Center, my submitted project titled “Hierarchically cross-linked hydrogels: theoretical and experimental design for biomedical applications” will be financed in the coming years. The main objective of the project is to design and fabricate a novel advanced magnetic hydrogels composed of biocompatible natural polymers and nano- to micro-sized functionalized magnetic particles with different chemistries and morphologies. Thanks to the presence of magnetic particles the biomechanical properties of the fabricated ferrogels will controllable by means of noncontact magnetic forces taking advantage of magnetorheological effect. The resulting hydrogels will possess significantly better performance towards the targeted application while keeping their high biocompatibility and superior cell binding properties. In addition, fabricated ferrogels will be composed of cheap and abundant materials, which will further expand the scope of their potential applications.