I agree that hydrogels have many applications. I previously interned for a biotechnology company that helps patients with joint and bone diseases using a mixture Hyaluronic Acid with various proteins. The solution is a gentle hydrogel that provides a stable microenvironment to allow the body to heal itself naturally. The hydrogel can helps support cartilage and bone regeneration that can integrate within the gel, and also provides similar mechanical support as the surrounding environment. During their pre-clinical research, mechanical testing and water retention tests were very important to compare different conjugation ratios of HA/Protein mixtures. Results showed that varying the type of proteins used, and ratios of them changed the hydrogel's modulus during compression tests, and amount of water it can retain. A higher modulus with high water retention shows that such applications can be very useful as implants for patients with bone and cartilage disease.

You made some really good points about the significance of using hydrogels in pre-clinical research! Another big plus is that hydrogels can be easily modified to release drugs in a controlled manner, making them ideal for studying how treatments can be delivered effectively. Hydrogels are also known to have good biocompatibility, which means they interact well with biological tissues without causing adverse reactions. This makes them safe for in-vivo studies and helps researchers understand how materials will perform in real-world applications. 

I agree that hydrogels are the most effective tool for researchers to develop the most suitable models of drugs for clinical therapies.

Hydrogel plays a huge role in pre-clinical research due to the high volume of water content.

Due to this unique property, hydrogel helps promote regeneration, growth, and attachment of tissues and cells. Gel and liquid-like textures provide a naturally moist environment for the cells. So due to the jelly texture, it is easy to control its flow and quantity during therapies. 

Hydrogels are definitely gaining more attention in pre-clinical research because of their versatility. Their tunable mechanical and chemical properties make them suitable for different experimental needs, whether it’s mimicking tissue environments, supporting cell growth, or enabling controlled drug release. Since they can be engineered to balance stiffness, porosity, and water retention, they provide researchers with a platform to model a variety of physiological conditions. This adaptability is one reason why they continue to be explored across applications ranging from regenerative medicine to targeted therapeutic delivery.

Hydrogels really stand out because of their water content and biocompatibility. For example, hydrogels are being used in wound healing dressings because they keep the environment moist, they can be used to create scaffolds for tissue regeneration, and can even be loaded with antibiotics or growth factors. From research papers that I have read, there are also injectable hydrogels for improved targeted drug delivery, and as a biomaterial with a permeable membrane, they make a great candidate for biotransport related designs. However, even with all these possibilities they still pose some limitations. For one, stability of the gel can be an issue, since they degrade more quickly than other biomaterials or don’t have the mechanical strength needed in load-bearing tissues. From the lecture videos viewed from this course it was explained that picking the appropriate biomaterial based on the application is a very important step within the scope of the project. In a load bearing scenario, a hydrogel might not always be the best choice, even if it does check off all other requirements, because if it can’t bear the load then it can be detrimental to its function and ultimately the client/patient.  Additionally, depending on the source immune response can vary from person to person. To answer the above question, they’re not just stuck in the lab anymore, they have played a big role in localized, short-term therapies. However, I would like to see more of their potential in organ regeneration when combined with tissue engineering principles.