Significance
Biological hydrogels (biogels) are essential in living systems to control the movement of cells and unwanted substances. However, current methods to control transport within biogels rely on altering the microstructure of the biogel matrix at a gross level, either by reducing the pore size to restrict passage through steric hindrance or by chemically modifying the matrix itself. Both methods are either nonspecific or not scalable. Here, we offer a new approach, based on weakly adhesive third-party molecular anchors, that allow for a variety of foreign entities to be trapped within a biogel simultaneously with exceptional potency and molecular specificity, without perturbing the bulk properties of the biogel. This strategy greatly increases our ability to control the properties of biogels at the nanoscale, including those used for wound healing or tissue engineering applications.
Statement of significance
Biological hydrogels (biogels) are essential in living systems to control the movement of cells and unwanted substances. However, current methods to control transport within biogels rely on altering the microstructure of the biogel matrix at a gross level, either by reducing the pore size to restrict passage through steric hindrance or by chemically modifying the matrix itself. Both methods are either nonspecific or not scalable. Here, we offer a new approach, based on weakly adhesive third-party molecular anchors, that allow for a variety of foreign entities to be trapped within a biogel simultaneously with exceptional potency and molecular specificity, without perturbing the bulk properties of the biogel. This strategy greatly increases our ability to control the properties of biogels at the nanoscale, including those used for wound healing or tissue engineering applications.