Hyaluronate and its derivatives for customized biomedical applications.

Since hyaluronate (HA) was firstly isolated from the vitreous of bovine eyes in 1934, HA has been widely investigated for various biomedical applications. As a naturally-occurring polysaccharide, HA has been used for joint lubrication and ocular treatment in its intact form due to the excellent biocompatibility, viscoelasticity, biodegradability, and hygroscopic properties. HA can be easily functionalized via the chemical modification of its carboxyl and hydroxyl groups.

Hyaluronate-Epidermal Growth Factor Conjugate for Skin Wound Healing and Regeneration.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been recognized as an excellent wound healing agent due to its therapeutic function stimulating skin cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. However, the transdermal delivery of EGF poses a significant challenge due to its short half-life and lack of efficient formulation. Here, to improve the transdermal delivery efficiency, EGF was conjugated to hyaluronate (HA), which was formulated into a patch-type film for skin wound healing.

Genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cell therapy using self-assembling supramolecular hydrogels.

Stem cell therapy has attracted a great deal of attention for treating intractable diseases such as cancer, stroke, liver cirrhosis, and ischemia. Especially, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely investigated for therapeutic applications due to the advantageous characteristics of long life-span, facile isolation, rapid proliferation, prolonged transgene expression, hypo-immunogenicity, and tumor tropism. MSCs can exert their therapeutic effects by releasing stress-induced therapeutic molecules after their rapid migration to damaged tissues.