Characterization of Tunable Poly-<i>ε</i>-Lysine-Based Hydrogels for Corneal Tissue Engineering



Lace, Rebecca ORCID: 0000-0001-9410-9506, Duffy, Georgia L ORCID: 0000-0002-6272-0471, Gallagher, Andrew G, Doherty, Kyle G ORCID: 0000-0002-7616-1295, Maklad, Osama ORCID: 0000-0001-6893-2654, Wellings, Donald A and Williams, Rachel L ORCID: 0000-0002-1954-0256
(2021) Characterization of Tunable Poly-<i>ε</i>-Lysine-Based Hydrogels for Corneal Tissue Engineering. MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE, 21 (7). e2100036-.

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Abstract

A family of poly-ε-lysine hydrogels can be synthesized by crosslinking with bis-carboxylic acids using carbodiimide chemistry. In addition to creating hydrogels using a simple cast method, a fragmented method is used to introduce increased porosity within the hydrogel structure. Both methods have created tunable characteristics ranging in their mechanical properties, transparency, and water content, which is of interest to corneal tissue engineering and can be tailored to specific cellular needs and applications. With a worldwide shortage of cornea donor tissue available for transplant and limitations including rejection and potential infection, a synthetic material that can be used as a graft, or a partial thickness corneal replacement, would be an advantageous treatment method. These hydrogels can be tuned to have similar mechanical and transparency properties to the human cornea. They also support the attachment and growth of corneal epithelial cells and the integration of corneal stromal cells.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: characterization, cornea, hydrogel, ocular surface, poly&#8208, lysine
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Life Courses and Medical Sciences
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 19 May 2021 08:23
Last Modified: 17 Oct 2023 17:24
DOI: 10.1002/mabi.202100036
Open Access URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mabi.2...
Related URLs:
URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3123198