A responsive hydrogel platform using supramolecular polymers for drug and gene delivery systems

The functional immobilization and the controlled manipulation of biological molecules on soft materials and surfaces is a critical issue in the design of many biomedical devices, including drug delivery systems, cell microarrays and biosensors. In this work we investigate a soft hydrogel platform based on supramolecular polycationic polymers derived from polyethyleneimine (PEI). The modified PEI-MA polymers self-assemble into highly hydrophilic platforms that respond to a variety of external stimuli, including temperature, pH and electric fields, and can be used to control the binding and release of charged biomolecules, such as DNA, in biomedical devices.