Rheolution's Resources in Life Sciences

Natural polymers such as collagen, fibrin, chitosan, and agarose exhibit superior biological activity when compared to synthetic materials and so, they are often used to entirely or partially compose hydrogels. The formation of a hydrogel is governed by the development of physical or chemical bonds between the polymeric chains and depends strongly on its formulation. The formulation of a hydrogel includes the selection and dosage of the polymer, solvent and crosslinking agent (when present).

Biodegradable hydrogels are promising candidates as drug carriers due to their biocompatibility and tunable degradation. This is particularly valuable for oral delivery systems since the polymer should respond to pH or enzymatic changes in the gastrointestinal environment to achieve a controlled drug release.

Hydrogels exhibit a pronounced viscoelastic behavior similar to soft tissues. For this reason, they have been widely used in biomedical research for developing engineered tissues and novel treatments such as wound dressings and drug delivery systems.

Hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical research for developing engineered tissues and novel treatments such as wound dressings and drug delivery systems. Photo-crosslinkable polymers are an interesting option in the field due to the possibility of tuning its microstructure by regulating the wavelength, intensity and duration of the applied light [1, 2, 3].

Hemostatic agents (HA, e.g. powders, gauzes, adhesives and sealants) have been used for decades to control bleeding. The demand for these agents is growing due to two major trends in surgical practice: the expansion of minimally invasive surgery and complex reconstructive procedures that are more limited in their capacity to obtain hemostasis.