Gelsert

This project aims to develop a novel synthetic platform based on soft, porous, and highly biomimetic hydrogel membranes tailored for soft tissue engineering. Current standards for tissue culture often rely on hard, flat, and highly simplified plastic surfaces that fail to recapitulate the complexity of the extracellular matrix architecture and its mechanical properties. Especially for soft tissues, novel substrates are needed to better mimic the native environment and elucidate its impact on cellular and tissue-level mechanisms. Electrospinning of functionalized, crosslinkable polyethylene glycol offers a high-throughput method for producing membranes with customizable properties. Overall, this platform provides a robust basis for physiologically relevant mechanobiology studies and advanced in vitro models of complex tissues, including the retina, nephron, and skin.