Title:

Leveraging Phase Separation to Engineer Microstructures and Cell Encapsulation in Biomaterials

Hydrogels are a relatively recent addition to the field of biomaterials and bioengineering. Their synthesis involves crosslinking a polymer solution, in this case a modified dextran polymer with UV photocrosslinking. Hydrogel applications include providing a cell scaffold for wound healing, the delivery or uptake of target molecules such as drugs (delivery) or toxins (uptake), and materials science or biomimicry. The performance of a hydrogel in these applications depends on its makeup as well as stiffness and morphology, which are dependent on parameters including the temperature and polymer concentration of the solution to be crosslinked. This research focuses on the effect of polymer concentration and temperature on a dextran hydrogel’s performance as a drug delivery system or cell scaffold.

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