Abstract
Soft materials have been developed very rapidly in the biomedical field over the past 10 years because of advances in medical devices, cell therapy, and 3D printing for precision medicine. Smart polymers are one category of soft materials that respond to environmental changes. One typical example is the thermally-responsive polymers, which are widely used as cell carriers and in 3D printing. Self-healing polymers are one type of smart polymers that have the capacity to recover the structure after repeated damages and are often injectable through needles. Shape memory polymers are another type with the ability to memorize their original shape. These smart polymers can be used as cell/drug/protein carriers. Their injectability and shape memory performance allow them to be applied in bioprinting, minimally invasive surgery, and precision medicine. This review will describe the general materials design, characterization, as well as the current progresses and challenges of these smart polymers.
Highlights
Soft materials with similar shear modulus or mechanical strength to human body tissues have been highly focused in the decades, especially those soft materials with unique properties that we called “smart polymeric materials”
Polymeric smart materials are most commonly used in the biomedical field, owing to introducing the high biocompatibility from natural polymers [2] and the tunable and functional properties from synthetic polymers [1]
Smart materials with self-healing ability can be used in cell printing, which may influence the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to target cells and allow more convenient approach to replace damaged tissue or for applications in minimally invasive surgery [124]
Summary
Soft materials with similar shear modulus or mechanical strength to human body tissues have been highly focused in the decades, especially those soft materials with unique properties that we called “smart polymeric materials”. Applications of smart polymers for precision medicine Smart polymers with tailorable mechanical strength, precise shapes, and environmental responsiveness can be employed to produce scaffolds or stents to provide niche to cater with different types of cells for cell therapy. Flexible and biodegradable shape memory scaffolds were used for a cardiac patch [102], and stimuli-responsive drug carriers allowed the temporal or spatial control of drug release in the diseased tissues [103] These smart devices are expected to have more advanced applications, such as biomimetic 4D printing [104] or self-folding machines [105]. Smart materials with self-healing ability can be used in cell printing, which may influence the differentiation of iPSCs to target cells and allow more convenient approach to replace damaged tissue or for applications in minimally invasive surgery [124]. Synthetic biomaterials, such as poly (D, L-lactide), poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate, and poly(ɛcaprolactone) have been 3D printed via SLA to fabricate scaffolds with high resolution
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