Non-releasing alginate hydrogels for analyte sensing and detoxification

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Alginate hydrogels are widely used in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound healing applications because of their high biocompatibility, low toxicity, and ease of gelation. In this research program, we propose to develop novel non-releasing alginate hydrogels for analyte sensing and detoxification. In these applications, materials with high ligand densities and low ligand release rates are needed, as the detection or detoxification occurs inside the material. Indeed, ligand release reduces the activity of the system and may lead to toxicity after local or systemic exposure to the ligand. Small molecules and proteins are generally released very rapidly from hydrogels. Therefore, new strategies for the development of non-releasing hydrogels for these applications are needed. I propose to use a covalent conjugation approach to load alginate gels with bioactive cargo and test the hydrogels as wound dressings for chronic wounds. Chronic wounds can have several origins but share key features, namely high reactive oxygen species (ROS) and high matrix metalloproteinase 9 levels, and abnormal pH. These new hydrogels are highly versatile and promise to impact the biotechnology landscape of Canada based on their capacity to lead to patent applications with high licensing potential and/or the foundation of startups.