POS8-1474
Viscoelastic GelMA-based nanocomposite Hydrogels for Regulating Cell Behavior and Drug Responses
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Minha Park (Department of Advanced Textile Materials Engineering, Kyungpook National University)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a fibrous and dynamically viscoelastic microenvironment that regulates cell adhesion, morphology, survival, and differentiation. However, although gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels are widely used for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture because of their biocompatibility and photocrosslinkability, their permanently crosslinked networks fail to reproduce the dynamic stress relaxation behavior of native ECM. Here, we developed viscoelastic GelMA-based nanocomposite hydrogels that recapitulate both the fibrous architecture and dynamic mechanical characteristics of the ECM. Aminophenylboronic acid (APBA) was conjugated to GelMA, and poly(vinyl alcohol) methacrylate (PVAMA) nanofibers were incorporated to introduce reversible borate ester crosslinks within the hydrogel network. The resulting dynamic network enabled tunable viscoelasticity and stress relaxation while providing an ECM-mimetic fibrous microenvironment. The influence of the viscoelastic matrix on cell behavior was evaluated by assessing cell viability, morphology, and mechanosensitive signaling through YAP nuclear localization and vinculin expression. Furthermore, the platform was applied to investigate drug responses using a cancer cell model. These results demonstrate that viscoelastic GelMA-APBA/PVAMA nanofiber composite hydrogels provide a versatile 3D cell culture platform for regulating cell behavior and evaluating drug responses through engineered cell–matrix interactions.
