The objective of this project is to chemically design
biodegradable hydrogels that would not only have improved
mechanical properties upon swelling but also have the capability
to tailor their biodegradation property and to meet a wide range
of hydrophilic/hydrophobic characteristics of proteins, peptides
and drugs for specific clinical needs. The potential applications
of this new class of biodegradable hydrogel biomaterials will be
in the controlled release of drugs, artificial skin, wound dressing,
coating of surgical implants and tissue culture wells and carriers
for gene therapy.