Blafar Injectable Hydrogels
Injectable Hydrogels for Translational Medicine
Blafar provides a series of advanced injectable hydrogel systems as the optimal microenvironments for customised cell culture and regenerative medicine.
These biocompatible injectable hydrogels are based on precisely designed functionalised extracellular matrix (ECM)-based biopolymers and/or our unique biocompatible synthetic HB PEG-based polymers. Blafar hydrogel precursors can be injected with minimal invasion and rapidly crosslinked in situ by UV irradiation or click chemistry.
Blafar hydrogels display a spectrum of substrate options and physical properties depending on the functional group densities and substrate concentrations designed specifically to meet requirements of a wide range of applications.
Advantages of Blafar Hydrogel
Blafar hydrogel components (naturally derived or synthetic) mimic critical features of the natural ECM environment.
Controlled degradability of Blafar hydrogel in a tunable manner without generating toxic by-products.
Tailored hydrogel system to accommodate specific application requirements.
Scaleable manufacturing capacity.
Blafar hydrogels can be crosslinked in situ, matching irregular defects with minimal invasion to adhere to the surroundings during gel formation.
Potential Applications
- Wound care
- Cartilage repair
- Orthopedics and anesthetics
- Cell/drug/bioactive delivery platform
- Ophthalmology
- Stomatology
- Tissue adhesive
- 3D cell culture platform
- 3D printing
Which Blafar Hydrogel is ideal for you?
The hydrogel is flexible in respect to gelation time, crosslink density, functionalisation and degradation; formed by crosslinking of thiol modified ECM-based biopolymers (e.g. hyaluronic acid, gelatin, chondroitin sulfate) with vinyl modified ECM-based biopolymers or hyperbranched synthetic polymers with acrylate end functional groups.
Excellent temporal and spatial control is displayed in this hydrogel system. The hydrogel is fabricated in the presence of UV-radiation, crosslinking agents and photo initiator from methacrylated ECM-based biopolymers (e.g. hyaluronic acid, gelatin, chondroitin sulfate) or hyperbranched synthetic polymers with methacrylate groups (PEG-based fast degrading or slow degrading polymers).
Collagen, as the main component of the ECM, is an ideal composite for an injectable hydrogel. High purity type I collagen solution from bovine or porcine origin can be crosslinked through pH adjustments to form a biocompatible and cell adhesive hydrogel matrix, collagen film or collagen sponge.
Self-healing hydrogels can be formed by aldehyde functionalised biopolymers and amine-functionalised biopolymers via Schiff-base chemistry. Owing to the dynamic crosslinking mechanism, this type of hydrogel also possesses a shear-thinning property which means the hydrogel is able to shift from gel state to solution state to protect the embedded cells from the shear force during the injection, suitable for non-invasive injectable applications and 3D bioprinting.