Multifunctional composite microgels: From structural design to biomedical applications
Yanli Cai, Dong Xu, Zi En Chong, Elaine Shi An Chen, Soo Wah Gan, Alvin Shu Kiat Bok, Wen Feng Lu, Wei Zhai, Ching-Chiuan Yen · 2026
Read Multifunctional composite microgels: From structural design to biomedical applications by Yanli Cai, Dong Xu, Zi En Chong, Elaine Shi An Chen, Soo Wah Gan, Alvin Shu Kiat Bok, Wen Feng Lu, Wei Zhai, Ching-Chiuan Yen (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13123378.txt.
Description
Cai and co-authors review composite microgels, tiny gel particles built for medical uses, in a 2026 paper. A microgel is a hydrogel speck about the size of a cell. Mixing polymers, nanomaterials, and active agents into one particle lets designers tune its behavior. The review links how these particles are built to how they steer cells, and then to real applications.
Material traits such as stiffness and surface chemistry guide cells, as do dynamic tricks like responding to a trigger on demand. The authors show the design rules at work in cancer therapy, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine. Open problems include making the particles at scale, proving safety, and fitting them into clinical routines. AI-driven design is named as a coming direction.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yanli Cai, Dong Xu, Zi En Chong, Elaine Shi An Chen, Soo Wah Gan, Alvin Shu Kiat Bok, Wen Feng Lu, Wei Zhai, Ching-Chiuan Yen |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 125 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |