Received: 13 July 2019 Revised: 25 September 2019 Accepted: 1 October 2019 DOI: 10.1002/btm2.10147 RESEARCH REPORT Injectable supramolecular polymer–nanoparticle hydrogels enhance human mesenchymal stem cell delivery Abigail K. Grosskopf1 | Gillie A. Roth2 | Anton A. A. Smith3 | Emily C. Gale4 | Hector Lopez Hernandez3 | Eric A. Appel3 1Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California Abstract 2Department of Bioengineering, Stanford Stem cell therapies have emerged as promising treatments for injuries and diseases in University, Stanford, California regenerative medicine. Yet, delivering stem cells therapeutically can be complicated 3Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, by invasive administration techniques, heterogeneity in the injection media, and/or California poor cell retention at the injection site. Despite these issues, traditional administra- 4 Department of Biochemistry, Stanford tion protocols using bolus injections in a saline solution or surgical implants of cell- University, Stanford, California laden hydrogels have highlighted the promise of cell administration as a treatment Correspondence strategy. To address these limitations, we have designed an injectable polymer– Eric A. Appel, Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, nanoparticle (PNP) hydrogel platform exploiting multivalent, noncovalent interactions Stanford, CA 94305. between modified biopolymers and biodegradable nanoparticles for encapsulation Email:
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