Date

4-2019

Project Type

URC Presentation

Department

Department of Chemical Engineering

College or School

CEPS, COLSA

Class Year

Sophomore, Junior

Major

Bioengineering, Biochemistry

Faculty Research Advisor

Kyung Jae Jeong

Abstract

We have previously made a mechanically tough hydrogel by creating an interpenetrating network (IPN) of gelatin and silk fibroin. The resulting hydrogel exhibited a very high stiffness (~2 MPa) and excellent biofunctionality, promoting cell adhesion and proliferation on its surface. However, inducing cellular growth inside the hydrogel was challenging. Here, we introduce a new method of creating an injectable gelatin-silk fibroin IPN hydrogel which can be used to encapsulate mammalian cells inside the hydrogel. Results from a confocal microscope imaging supports cell proliferation on all layers of the hydrogel. Gelatin-silk IPN hydrogel resulted in higher cellular proliferation than the gelatin only hydrogel. This makes for a great asset in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

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