Novel Peptide-Based Hydrogels Could Transform Drug Delivery, Wound Healing, and Tissue Engineering

Hydrogels have long been studied for drug delivery applications due to their biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and swelling behaviour.

Researchers at the Bose Institute in Kolkata have pioneered a novel approach to creating hydrogels using tiny protein fragments derived from the SARS-CoV-1 virus, potentially transforming the field of drug delivery and tissue engineering. The team, led by Professor Anirban Bhunia from the Department of Chemical Sciences, collaborated with scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, USA, and the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Kolkata. Their findings, recently published in Small, reveal that rearranging just five amino acids from the SARS-CoV-1 E protein enables the creation of pentapeptide-based hydrogels with unique and customizable properties.

Hydrogels have long been studied for drug delivery applications due to their biocompatibility, mechanical strength, and swelling behaviour. The ability to manipulate short peptide-based hydrogels—like those developed in this study—presents new opportunities for targeted drug delivery systems that enhance treatment effectiveness and minimize side effects. However, controlling the gelation process of these peptide systems has historically been challenging, with minor changes in peptide sequences impacting their assembly and gelation properties significantly.

The Bose Institute team discovered that specific amino acid arrangements derived from the SARS-CoV-1 E protein exhibit self-assembling properties ideal for creating hydrogels. These properties could be crucial in the development of hydrogels tailored for specific medical needs. Key Features and Potential Applications:

Gelation at Different Conditions: The study demonstrated that some of these pentapeptide-based hydrogels form gels when heated, while others gel at room temperature, allowing for customizable conditions suited to different medical applications.

Targeted Drug Delivery: With enhanced precision in drug delivery, these hydrogels could improve the efficacy of treatments while reducing adverse side effects, particularly in chronic and infectious disease management.

Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: The customizable nature of these gels opens new avenues in tissue engineering, possibly aiding in organ regeneration and revolutionizing wound healing treatments through localized, controlled release of healing agents.

Disease Modeling for Research: These hydrogels could enable more accurate disease modelling in laboratory settings, allowing researchers to study disease mechanisms in a controlled environment that mimics human tissue.

Professor Bhunia emphasized that this discovery underscores the transformative potential of peptide-based hydrogels in biomedicine, specifically for applications requiring minimal invasiveness and high precision. The Bose Institute and its partners aim to explore further developments, hoping to create commercially viable hydrogel platforms that address urgent needs in targeted drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and advanced wound care.

This advancement in peptide engineering could pave the way for highly adaptable, biocompatible materials that push the boundaries of medical treatment options, offering new solutions in fields where traditional drug delivery and treatment methods have faced limitations.