Alexandra Springer

Bacherlor student

Investigation of cell-material interactions in electrically conductive polymer functionalized ADA-GEL hydrogels

 

Supervisors: Lisa Schöbel, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

The guidance of new tissue growth by replacing the extra-cellular matrix with synthetic materials is one of the objectives of tissue engineering [1]. Hydrogels based on oxidized alginate (ADA) form the foundation of many hydrogels investigated by numerous researchers because of its tailorable properties such as stiffness or degradation behavior [2]. However, due to the lack of cell-adhesive motifs in pristine ADA, it can be combined with gelatin (GEL) and consequently the properties can be adjusted further [3]. By the incorporation of an electrically conductive polymer, the functionalities of the resulting hydrogels can be extended and applications such as electrical stimulation can be realized. The aim of this bachelor thesis is the investigation of functionalized ADA-GEL hydrogels in terms of chemical-, mechanical and electrical properties. The swelling- and degradation behavior will be also investigated. Furthermore, a strong focus will be on the viability of different cell types seeded onto the hydrogel in dependance of the hydrogel preparation conditions.

[1] T. Boontheekul, et al., Controlling alginate gel degradation utilizing partial oxidation and bimodal molecular weight distribution, Biomaterials, 26, 2005, 2455-2465

[2] T. Distler, et al., Ionically and Enzymatically Dual Cross-Linked Oxidized Alginate Gelatin Hydrogels with Tunable Stiffness and Degradation Behavior for Tissue Engineering, ACS Biomater. Sci. Eng. 6, 2020, 3899–3914

[3] B. Sarker, et al., Evaluation of Fibroblasts Adhesion and Proliferation on Alginate-Gelatin Crosslinked Hydrogel. PLoS ONE 9(9), 2014, e107952.