3.3 Controlled Drug Release
Hydrogels have the structural integrity of a solid, yet they are soft materials and
exhibit the diffusive transport properties of a liquid [80]. In addition, hydrogels are
generally biocompatible [81]. These attributes make them attractive for use in
biomedical applications such as tissue engineering [82] and controlled drug release
[83]. The potential use of the microphase-separated amphiphilic hydrogels for tissue
engineering was discussed in the previous section. This section discusses their use as
drug release media, which was a $32 B market in 2017 [84]. One particular segment
of the drug release market is the treatment of ocular disease, which in 2015 was
a >$5.5 B industry [85], and one of the more promising delivery technologies for
Fig. 18 LoadingÀunloading curves of equilibrium-swollen (a) DFm9 hydrogel film and (b) DFm9
fiber mat hydrogels color key is the same as in part (a). Reproduced with permission from Ref. [18]
Fig. 19 Hysteresis (circles) and energy loss (triangles) during tensile loading–unloading cycle for
DFm10 hydrogel dense film (filled symbols) and microfiber mat (open symbols)
194
B. D. Vogt and R. A. Weiss
Hydrogels have the structural integrity of a solid, yet they are soft materials and
exhibit the diffusive transport properties of a liquid [80]. In addition, hydrogels are
generally biocompatible [81]. These attributes make them attractive for use in
biomedical applications such as tissue engineering [82] and controlled drug release
[83]. The potential use of the microphase-separated amphiphilic hydrogels for tissue
engineering was discussed in the previous section. This section discusses their use as
drug release media, which was a $32 B market in 2017 [84]. One particular segment
of the drug release market is the treatment of ocular disease, which in 2015 was
a >$5.5 B industry [85], and one of the more promising delivery technologies for
Fig. 18 LoadingÀunloading curves of equilibrium-swollen (a) DFm9 hydrogel film and (b) DFm9
fiber mat hydrogels color key is the same as in part (a). Reproduced with permission from Ref. [18]
Fig. 19 Hysteresis (circles) and energy loss (triangles) during tensile loading–unloading cycle for
DFm10 hydrogel dense film (filled symbols) and microfiber mat (open symbols)
194
B. D. Vogt and R. A. Weiss