Abstract
Gelatin hydrogels are widely used in biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, the efficient incorporation of antibodies into gelatin hydrogels remains challenging because conventional cross-linking methods involve complex multistep procedures and often result in poor yields. In this study, we present a novel and simple method for the efficient anchoring of antibodies to gelatin hydrogels via noncovalent interactions. The designed peptide tag (R9Dec2L3), which is composed of collagen-binding, hydrophobic, and electrostatic domains, strongly anchored the antibodies to the gelatin hydrogel. Antibodies conjugated with R9Dec2L3 exhibited substantially enhanced adsorption and retention in gelatin hydrogels over 1 week under serum conditions while maintaining their activity on the hydrogel surface. This approach simplifies the process of creating antibody-functionalized gelatin hydrogels and provides a promising direction for advancing tissue engineering and related therapeutic strategies.