Electroactive Hydrogel Interface for Cellular Stimulation and Growth Factor Delivery

An important step in neural science research is the translation of signals between the human body and biomedical implants. Understanding this translation of signals is the base for achieving new technological approaches in the field of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biomedical engineering, and diagnostics. One requirement to generate an effective neural interface is to minimize the intrinsic differences between neural biological elements and neural interfaces regarding stiffness, biocompatibility, and physical and chemical cues for cellular communication. Electroactive hydrogels (EAH) have recently been shown to be a promising candidate to meet this requirement due to similarities to neural biological environments, such as elastic polymeric networks, water-holding capacity, and electroactive behaviour. The aim of the thesis is to develop a mechanically stable, printable, and electroactive soft interface. The project also aims to evaluate the efficiency of an electroactive material in interacting with growth factors and modulating neural cell behavior through electrical stimulation to enhance cell proliferation and differentiation. The approaches studies here can improve our understanding of cellular responses to electrical stimulation, enhance tissue repair and regeneration processes, and provide innovative approaches for therapeutic applications and drug delivery systems.