Net2Gel SIGNED

Project "Net2Gel" data sheet

The following table provides information about the project.

 Partnership

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Map

 Project objective

Polymer hydrogels contain over 90% water and are very useful materials in many biomedical areas such as contact lenses, drug delivery, wound healing, among others. However, many hydrogels are mechanically underperforming in that they are either too weak or too brittle. Double network hydrogels have shown significant promise to overcome this issue and mechanically strong or stretchable, elastic double network hydrogels have been reported. The overall aim of this project is to develop a new class of stretchable biocompatible double network hydrogels based on polypeptides as patches for transdermal drug delivery. The project will develop novel chemistry to achieve materials with enhanced properties validated for a drug delivey application by a multidisciplinary approach combining expertise in polymer chemistry, material science, drug delivery and biomaterial science. The project will foster new collaboration opportunities between research groups from different scientific fields. The high-level science is complemented by bespoke training activities, which will significantly advance the career opportunities of the applicant. A particular feasture of the project is the proposed development of a hydrogel school experiment in collaboration with the teachers-in-residence programme of the Irish Centre for Medical Device (CURAM) to foster scientific interest, motivation and encouragement for pupils in schools located in disadvantaged communities. Moreover, commercial exploitation of the scientific findings and developments will be explored.