Polymer Hybrid Systems

Prof. Dr. Ralf Weberskirch

Fakulty for Chemistry and Chemical Biology

TU Dortmund University

Website Publications

There is an increased interest for defined materials that can be utilized to manufacture cells, to deliver cells or to carry out cell experiments in 2D and 3D. Although synthetic polymers can be easily prepared on a larger scale, in a reproducible manner with customized functionalities, only polyacrylamide and polyethylene glycol (PEG) based hydrogels are commercially available in various kits which explains their widespread application.  The goal of our research is to broaden the applicability of synthetic polymers as substrates for cell experiments. Therefore, we explore new polymers and hydrogel forming concepts as a platform for 2D and 3D cell experiments. This includes the utilization of well-defined precursor polymers, the investigation of new bio-orthogonal crosslinking methods and the employment of polymers that can form physical gels. 


Tags:  Stem Cell Niche  Biomaterials