Protein hydrogel hailed as drug delivery breakthrough
The team behind the latest breakthrough, from NYU Tandon School of Engineering, has succeeded in creating a hydrogel comprised of a single protein domain that exhibits many of the same properties as synthetic hydrogels. … The NYU system is claimed to be the first protein-engineered hydrogel of its kind. Leader of the research Professor Jin Kim Montclare said: “This is the first thermo-responsive protein hydrogel based on a single coiled-coil protein that transitions from solution to gel at low temperatures through a process of self-assembly, without the need for external agents…It’s an exciting development because protein-based hydrogels are much more desirable for use in biomedicine.”