First thermo-responsive protein hydrogel developed

Researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering in the US have developed what is considered to be the first hydrogel made of a single protein domain that exhibits many of the same properties as synthetic hydrogels. This breakthrough could result in drug delivery systems that are able to survive in the human body for as long as two weeks and provide the sustained release of medication. The research team said it conducted experiments encapsulating a model small molecule within their protein hydrogel, discovering that small molecule binding increased thermostability and mechanical integrity and allowed for release over a timeframe comparable to other sustained-release drug delivery vehicles. The next step for the team is to design protein hydrogels tuned to respond to specific temperatures for various drug delivery applications, they said.
Professor Jin Kim Montclare, lead researcher, said: “This is the first thermo-responsive protein hydrogel based on a single coiled-coil protein that transitions from solution to gel at low temperatures through a process of self-assembly, without the need for external agents…It’s an exciting development because protein-based hydrogels are much more desirable for use in biomedicine.”