ERC Consolidator Grant · 2022
Supramolecular & Covalent Bonds for Engineering Spatiotemporal Complexity in Hydrogel Biomaterials
Current biomaterials poorly recapitulate the tough, responsive, and spatiotemporal behavior of native extracellular matrices (ECM). This recapitulation of ECM complexity is imperative to create environments that can effectively communicate with living cells. A key missing component in synthetic ECM-mimetics is spatiotemporal control of material dynamics. Supramolecular biomaterials hold significant promise to fill this need, yet their poor mechanical properties often limit application. I hypothesize that strategic combinations of dynamic supramolecular assemblies with reversible/degradable covalent bonds can lead to tough, hierarchical, and spatiotemporally complex hydrogels. After all,…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.