Open AccessHydrogels in the clinic
Author(s) -
Mandal Abhirup,
Clegg John R.,
Anselmo Aaron C.,
Mitragotri Samir
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
bioengineering and translational medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2380-6761
DOI - 10.1002/btm2.10158
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , nanotechnology , tissue engineering , drug delivery , computer science , materials science , biomedical engineering , medicine , polymer chemistry
Injectable hydrogels are one of the most widely investigated and versatile technologies for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications. Hydrogels’ versatility arises from their tunable structure, which has been enabled by considerable advances in fields such as materials engineering, polymer science, and chemistry. Advances in these fields continue to lead to invention of new polymers, new approaches to crosslink polymers, new strategies to fabricate hydrogels, and new applications arising from hydrogels for improving healthcare. Various hydrogel technologies have received regulatory approval for healthcare applications ranging from cancer treatment to aesthetic corrections to spinal fusion. Beyond these applications, hydrogels are being studied in clinical settings for tissue regeneration, incontinence, and other applications. Here, we analyze the current clinical landscape of injectable hydrogel technologies, including hydrogels that have been clinically approved or are currently being investigated in clinical settings. We summarize our analysis to highlight key clinical areas that hydrogels have found sustained success in and further discuss challenges that may limit their future clinical translation.