Shrink and Shape: Responsive Hydrogels for Small-Diameter Tubular Tissue Scaffolds

Developing realistic laboratory models of human organs is essential for studying diseases and testing new medicines. In this thesis, a new way to create very small and precise 3D models of kidney tubules was explored. The key idea was to use smart stimuli-responsive hydrogels: water-rich materials that can shrink on demand, without harming the cells growing inside them. The focus lay on electrostatic and host-guest interactions that are both attractive approaches to substantially reduce hydrogel volumes up to 8 times under physiologically relevant conditions. The research was performed to explore the properties of both approaches and to elucidate optimal conditions for the desired application.