We report protein- and aptamer-based electrochemical biochips for low-cost, one-step, sensitive and accurate multiplex detection of SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins, and IgG antibody in unprocessed clinical samples,...
Hydrogels are often used as synthetic
extracellular matrices (ECMs)
for biomedical applications. Natural ECMs are viscoelastic and exhibit
partial stress relaxation. However, commonly used hydrogels are typically
elastic. Hydrogels developed from ECM-based proteins are viscoelastic,
but they often have weak mechanical properties. Here, biocompatible
viscoelastic hydrogels with excellent mechanical performance are fabricated
by an all aqueous process at body or room temperature. These hydrogels
offer obvious stress relaxation and tunable mechanical properties
and gelation kinetics. Their compressive modulus can be controlled
between 2 kPa and 1.2 MPa, covering a significant portion of the properties
of native tissues. Investigation of the gelation mechanism revealed
that silk fibroin gelation is caused by the synergistic effects of
hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding between silk fibroin
molecules. Newly formed crystals serve as the cross-link sites and
form a network endowing the hydrogel with stable structure, and the
flexible noncrystalline silk nanofibers connect disparate silk fibroin
crystals, endowing hydrogels with viscoelastic properties. The all
aqueous gelation process avoids complex chemical and physical treatments
and is beneficial for encapsulating cells or biomolecules. Encapsulation
of chondrocytes results in high initial survival rate (95% ±
1%). These silk fibroin-based viscoelastic hydrogels, combined with
superior biocompatible and tunable mechanical properties, represent
an exciting option for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
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