Josune Alfageme Duran

Visiting student (Mondragon University, Spain)

Impact of Environmental Conditions on the Mechanical and Structural Characteristics of Soft OHA–GEL Hydrogels

Supervisors: Markus Lorke, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Hydrogels composed of oxidized hyaluronic acid (OHA) and gelatin (GEL) show strong potential for neural tissue engineering due to their close  resemblance to the mechanical and structural properties of brain tissue [1]. However, their physicochemical characteristics are highly dependent on the surrounding environment [2]. This project examines how these conditions affect the mechanical and structural behavior of soft OHA–GEL hydrogels, with the aim of contributing to the development of more reliable and optimized hydrogels for neural tissue engineering applications.

[1] Lorke, M., Kuth, S., Frischknecht, R., & Boccaccini, A. R. (2025). Development of oxidized hyaluronic acid based hydrogels for neuronal tissue engineering: Effects of matrix stiffness on primary neurons. Acta Biomaterialia, 205, 454–466. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actbio.2025.09.007
[2] S. Amirthalingam, A. Kumar Rajendran, Y. Gi Moon, y N. S. Hwang, «Stimuli-responsive dynamic hydrogels: design, properties and tissue engineering applications», Materials Horizons, vol. 10, n.o 9, pp. 3325-3350, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3MH00399J.