INEB RECENT PUBLICATIONS: Biomimetic Synthetic Self-Assembled Hydrogels for Cell Transplantation

INEB researchers recently published an article in the Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, available since April 2015. The article is entitled "Biomimetic Synthetic Self-Assembled Hydrogels for Cell Transplantation" and is authored by Daniela Barros, Isabel Freitas Amaral and Ana Paula Pêgo.

The development of three-dimensional matrices capable of recapitulating the main features of native extracellular matrix and contribute for the establishment of a favorable microenvironment for cell behavior and fate is expected to circumvent some of the main limitations of cell-based therapies. In this context, self-assembly has emerged as a promising strategy to engineer cell-compatible hydrogels. A wide number of synthetically-derived biopolymers, such as proteins, peptides and DNA/RNA, with intrinsic ability to self-assemble into well-defined nanofibrous structures, are being explored. The resulting hydrogels, in addition to closely resembling the architecture of native cellular microenvironments, present a versatile and dynamic behavior that allows them to be designed to undergo sol-to-gel transition in response to exogenous stimulus. In this context, this review presents an overview on the state-of-the-art of the different strategies being explored for the development of injectable synthetic self-assembled hydrogels for cell transplantation and/or recruitment of endogenous cells, with an emphasis on their biological performance, both in vitro and in vivo.