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Updated: Jan 23, 2026
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A Plate-Based Assay for the Measurement of Endogenous Monoamine Release in Acute Brain Slices
Published on: August 11, 2021
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Autonomous Hydrogel Actuators Programmed by Endogenous Biochemical Logic for Dual-Stage Morphing and Drug Release
Yuchen Liu1, Harischandra Potthuri1, Alejandro Sosnik1
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|January 22, 2026
Summary
Scientists developed a 3D-printed hydrogel actuator that autonomously changes shape and releases drugs in the stomach. This bioresponsive material uses the body's own enzymes for targeted delivery and control.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Systems Engineering
- Materials Science
- Soft Robotics
Background:
- Designing autonomous soft materials for physiological environments is challenging.
- Existing systems often require external triggers or manual intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To create a 3D-printed hybrid protein-polymer hydrogel actuator with autonomous, dual-stage functionality.
- To enable enzyme-triggered drug release in gastric-mimicking environments.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a bilayer hydrogel actuator using digital light processing (DLP) printing.
- Utilizing bovine serum albumin-poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylate (BSA-PEGDA) for the active layer and PEGDA for the passive layer.
- Investigating pH-dependent swelling and pepsin-mediated degradation for shape morphing and drug release.
Main Results:
- The actuator demonstrated autonomous, reversible shape transitions in response to acidic gastric fluid and pepsin.
- Doxorubicin (DOX) release was site-specifically controlled and tunable via pepstatin A inhibition.
- 3D printing enabled complex designs, including microneedle grippers for mucosal adhesion and controlled delivery.
Conclusions:
- This work presents a materials design strategy using biochemical cues for programmable mechanical and therapeutic outputs.
- The developed hydrogel actuator offers a robust platform for bioresponsive soft robotics and in situ drug delivery.
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