A Novel Peptide-Anchoring Method to Functionalize Gelatin Hydrogels with Antibodies via a Noncovalent Interaction

Gelatin hydrogels are widely used in biomedical applications, such as tissue engineering and drug delivery. However, the efficient incorporation of antibodies into gelatin hydrogels remains challenging because conventional cross-linking methods involve complex multistep procedures and often result in poor yields. In this study, we present a novel and simple method for the efficient anchoring of antibodies to gelatin hydrogels via noncovalent interactions. The designed peptide tag (R9Dec2L3), which is composed of collagen-binding, hydrophobic, and electrostatic domains, strongly anchored the antibodies to the gelatin hydrogel. Antibodies conjugated with R9Dec2L3 exhibited substantially enhanced adsorption and retention in gelatin hydrogels over 1 week under serum conditions while maintaining their activity on the hydrogel surface. This approach simplifies the process of creating antibody-functionalized gelatin hydrogels and provides a promising direction for advancing tissue engineering and related therapeutic strategies.