Test and tune: evaluating, adjusting and optimising the stiffness of hydrogels to influence cell fate

Abstract

The use of bioequivalent hydrogels in tissue engineering (TE) is enabling 3D tissue-like scaffolds capable of reproducing the sophistication of natural cell–matrix interactions. Alongside the common concerns of chemical function, it is crucial that hydrogels have suitable mechanical properties, particularly stiffness, to create a complete biomimetic environment for cell development. Non-covalent biocompatible hydrogels are often too soft, while stiffer, covalently crosslinked materials may have challenging microenvironments in which porosity and residual chemicals can be problematic. If the potential of hydrogel-based TE to be realised, design strategies need to be carefully considered to ac..