Living Therapeutic Materials with long term, sonoresponsive and mechanoadaptive function

In this proposal, we design living thapeutic hydrogels for long-term and adaptive release of biopharmaceuticals in the body.  The adaptive response is driven by responsive polymer networks which reprogram cell density in response to force and ultrasound. In the first funding period of the project, we will focus on the identification of the parameter space for adaptive responses of the living and non-living components and the formulation of the existing hydrogel networks into processable ELTM designs with long-term and adaptive functions. This requires particular attention to the quantification and correlation of individual material and biofactory responses and their dynamic interplay, to device design to guarantee stability, and to internal vascularization for long-term function.