Hydrogels in regenerative medicine: towards understanding structure–function relationships

Hydrogels are playing an increasing role in regenerative medicine owing to their growing functional sophistication. This is being underpinned by advances in hydrogel synthesis, particularly through molecular and genetic engineering, which provide greater control of hydrogel structure and hence the emergence of hydrogels with new functionalities. In order to exploit this capability it is necessary to fully understand the relationship between hydrogel structure and function. This article will investigate the nature of hydrogel-structure relationships by: highlighting the key attributes of hydrogels that modulate their function, discussing the link between these attributes and hydrogel behavior, and identifying possible measurement strategies to elucidate them.