From Mechanobiology to Immunomodulation: Engineering Hydrogels for Tissue Regeneration

During this presentation, I will showcase two innovative hydrogel platforms we invented for enhancing stem cell differentiation and tissue regeneration via targeting cellular mechanobiology or immunomodulation. The first example delves into a unique sliding hydrogel design that facilitates the dynamic sliding of ligands and crosslinks along the hydrogel backbone. Using cartilage as a model tissue, we showed sliding hydrogels accelerates stem cell chondrogenesis in 3D via promoting cell tumbling in 3D, and it can reverse osteoarthritic chondrocyte disease phenotype through targeting nuclear mechanosensing. The second biomaterials platform is a microribbon-based hydrogels, resembling a "lego-like" structure, offering a macroporous 3D cell niche. I will share our recent work on developing microribbons with immunomodulatory functions for regenerating critical-sized bone defects by recruiting endogenous cells and modulate stem cell-immune cell crosstalk in situ to boost regeneration.