A novel biomaterial with surprising antibacterial properties that can be injected as a low-viscosity gel into a wound where it rigidifies nearly on contact-opening the door to the possibility of delivering a targeted payload of cells and antibiotics to repair the damaged tissue - have been invented by scientists at University of Delaware.

The patented invention by Joel Schneider, UD associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Darrin Pochan, associate professor of materials science, and their research groups marks a major step forward in the development of hydrogels for medical applications.

Formulating hydrogels as delivery vehicles for cells extends the uses of these biopolymers far beyond soft-contact lenses into an intriguing realm once viewed as the domain of science fiction, including growing bones and organs to replace those that are diseased or injured.

Results of the most recent hydrogel study are reported in the May 8 (print) edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Find more details from the full report.

[In Photo: Close-up of the UD hydrogels; Credit: Kathy F. Atkinson]