Biomaterials responsive to magnetic fields, electrical stimulation, and light are creating new opportunities to regulate therapeutic delivery, cellular behavior, and tissue regeneration. Photoactive and biophotonic biomaterials are also enabling non-invasive bioelectronic communication, real-time monitoring of biological processes, and the development of biohybrid living systems. By providing spatiotemporal control over cell–material interactions and forming functional interfaces between synthetic materials and living organisms, these platforms offer promising strategies for modulating cellular responses and promoting tissue repair.
Multi-responsive biomaterials have shown considerable potential in ocular, neural, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and wound-healing applications. They are also opening new avenues for biosensing, personalized therapeutics, and next-generation regenerative medicine. However, important challenges continue to limit their clinical translation. These include the need to understand the multiscale mechanisms governing stimulus–material–cell interactions and to design bioactive, responsive interfaces that enable reliable communication between biomaterials and living systems.
In addition, many responsive materials are not biodegradable, which may raise long-term safety concerns in implantable applications. Their persistence may contribute to chronic inflammation, foreign-body reactions, fibrotic encapsulation, or the need for surgical removal. This Research Topic aims to present recent advances, emerging challenges, and future directions in biodegradable multi-responsive biomaterials, with a focus on their translation into regenerative medicine.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Brief Research Reports, and Perspectives of at least four pages addressing the design, synthesis, fabrication, characterization, and biomedical application of biodegradable multi-responsive biomaterials for on-demand drug delivery, cellular modulation, and tissue regeneration. Contributions may explore magnetic, electrical, light-responsive, photoactive, and biophotonic biomaterials that enable the controlled regulation of biological processes, therapeutic release, bioelectronic communication, and cellular activity.
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
- Synthesis and characterization of novel magnetic, electrical, and photonic biomaterials
- Additive manufacturing, including 3D printing, bioprinting, electrospinning, and microfluidics, for biodegradable stimuli-responsive biomaterials
- Magnetically, electrically, and light-triggered drug delivery systems
- Cell–material interactions and cellular modulation
- Responsive biomaterials for controlling inflammation and promoting tissue healing
- Applications in ocular, neural, cardiac, musculoskeletal, and wound-healing tissue engineering
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning for biomaterial discovery, design, optimization, and characterization
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Methods
Mini Review
Original Research
Perspective
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
General Commentary
Methods
Mini Review
Original Research
Perspective
Review
Keywords: Biodegradable biomaterials, multi-responsive biomaterials, on-demand drug delivery, tissue regeneration, cell–material interactions, bioactive interfaces, regenerative medicine
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.
