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Using thiol-ene click chemistry to engineer 3D printed plasmonic hydrogel scaffolds for SERS biosensing
Lara Troncoso-Afonso1,2,3, Yolany M Henríquez-Banegas1,4, Gail A Vinnacombe-Willson1,3
1CIC biomaGUNE, Basque Research and Technology Alliance (BRTA), 20014 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain. clara.garciaastrain@polymat.eu.
Biomaterials Science
|April 16, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed new plasmonic hydrogels for 3D cell cultures. These materials enable sensitive, real-time molecular detection within complex biological models, advancing studies of cellular processes and drug responses.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Spectroscopy
- Cell Biology
Background:
- 3D cell culture models mimic tissues/organs for disease study but face challenges in analyzing cell behavior due to complexity.
- Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) offers high sensitivity for molecular detection in biological systems.
- Integrating SERS sensors into 3D models can create powerful platforms for studying cellular functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a library of plasmonic hydrogels for 3D cell culture.
- To investigate the physicochemical factors influencing SERS performance in these hydrogels.
- To assess the biocompatibility and printability of the hydrogels for scaffold applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of plasmonic hydrogels using gelatin, alginate, and carboxymethylcellulose via orthogonal photo-crosslinking (thiol-ene click chemistry).
- Modification of polymers with thiol and norbornene groups to create tailored chemical backbones.
- Characterization of hydrogel properties (swelling, porosity, composition) and assessment of SERS performance and biocompatibility.
Main Results:
- Identified swelling, porosity, and chemical composition as key factors affecting SERS detection capabilities.
- Demonstrated the hydrogels' suitability as 3D cellular scaffolds.
- Showcased the potential for real-time and in situ detection of biorelevant metabolites within the 3D models.
Conclusions:
- Plasmonic hydrogels offer a versatile platform for advanced 3D cell culture applications.
- Physicochemical properties of hydrogels can be tuned to optimize SERS sensing.
- These materials facilitate in situ molecular analysis in complex biological environments.
