Smart responsive hydrogels combined with AI design for tumor therapy

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Cancer Therapeutics

Background:

• Multifunctional platforms are crucial for advanced cancer therapy, requiring precise targeting, controlled drug release, and immunomodulation.
• Hydrogels are promising due to their programmable release, responsiveness, and immunoregulatory properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review functionalized hydrogels for cancer therapy, focusing on multi-stimuli responsiveness and synergistic therapeutic mechanisms.
• To explore the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in developing intelligent hydrogel systems for cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of literature on functionalized hydrogels for cancer therapy.
• Analysis of hydrogel responsiveness to stimuli like temperature, pH, ROS, and enzymes.
• Examination of multimodal therapeutic mechanisms including photothermal therapy, immunotherapy, and TME simulation.
• Review of AI/ML applications in hydrogel design and function.

Main Results:

• Functionalized hydrogels exhibit multi-stimuli responsiveness and enable synergistic therapies.
• AI/ML are transforming hydrogels into intelligent systems with "smart design-perception-decision" capabilities.
• Significant progress in exploring mechanisms and optimizing performance of smart hydrogels.

Conclusions:

• AI-driven hydrogel platforms offer a promising avenue for personalized and multimodal cancer therapy.
• Addressing challenges and exploring future directions in AI-enabled hydrogel development is essential.
• This review provides theoretical guidance for next-generation hydrogels in oncology.