Chapter 7: Injectable Biopolymer Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine

Injectable hydrogels show increasing utility in regenerative medicine due to their minimal invasiveness and tunable properties. Here, we review different kinds of strategies for developing injectable hydrogels based on physical crosslinking, chemical crosslinking and cryo-gelling. Various natural and synthetic biopolymers suitable for injectable hydrogel fabrication are discussed to facilitate the choice of biopolymers in tissue engineering. The typical functionalization methods are listed to satisfy the specific requirements of different tissues. Furthermore, the recent progress in injectable hydrogels and their applications in various tissue regeneration are discussed in detail. The functional recovery of tissues through incorporating multiple cues to injectable hydrogel systems is highlighted, which suggests promising research aspects in regenerative medicine field.