About this Research Topic
Hydrogels with three dimensional network structures gained great attention as emerging delivery vehicles in the medical sector. Different compounds including metallic ions, drugs, genetic materials, vaccines and proteins can be delivered by hydrogels. In addition, stimuli-responsive hydrogels can respond to environmental changes and act as smart delivery systems. Physical stimuli including temperature, light, electric and magnetic field, and also chemical and biochemical stimuli such as pH, ionic strength, redox, enzymes, proteins and DNA could all elicit hydrogel responses.
Biocompatibility is an outstanding characteristic of hydrogels, rendering them as tuneable candidates in drug delivery systems. Thus, smart hydrogels have found various therapeutic applications such as preparation of scaffolds, regenerative medicine, neovascularization and tissue engineering.
Emerging smart nanohydrogels can be widely used in modern nanomedicine. Herein, we want to discuss the current benefits and challenges of smart hydrogels and their future perspective status in nanomedicine commercialization and development of medical products and instruments. We discuss a wide variety of applications of smart hydrogels; from the contact lenses to wound dressing materials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and also their synthetic strategies for all aspects of therapeutic applications. As well as, great potential of these smart carriers in delivery of therapeutic agents and their progress in theragnostic field.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Synthesis of smart stimulus-responsive nanohydrogels by controlled radical polymerization (i.e. RAFT, ATRP, NMP)
• Hybrid organic and inorganic nano-structures with stimulus-responsive hydrogels
• Smart delivery of therapeutic agents (i.e. drug, protein, DNA and vaccines)
• Smart nanohydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine diagnosis
• Theranostics
Biocompatibility is an outstanding characteristic of hydrogels, rendering them as tuneable candidates in drug delivery systems. Thus, smart hydrogels have found various therapeutic applications such as preparation of scaffolds, regenerative medicine, neovascularization and tissue engineering.
Emerging smart nanohydrogels can be widely used in modern nanomedicine. Herein, we want to discuss the current benefits and challenges of smart hydrogels and their future perspective status in nanomedicine commercialization and development of medical products and instruments. We discuss a wide variety of applications of smart hydrogels; from the contact lenses to wound dressing materials, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and also their synthetic strategies for all aspects of therapeutic applications. As well as, great potential of these smart carriers in delivery of therapeutic agents and their progress in theragnostic field.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Synthesis of smart stimulus-responsive nanohydrogels by controlled radical polymerization (i.e. RAFT, ATRP, NMP)
• Hybrid organic and inorganic nano-structures with stimulus-responsive hydrogels
• Smart delivery of therapeutic agents (i.e. drug, protein, DNA and vaccines)
• Smart nanohydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine diagnosis
• Theranostics
Keywords: Drug delivery, Theranostics
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
