A Reconfigurable Proangiogenic Hydrogel Patch Enabling Minimally Invasive Drug Delivery

Hydrogel is widely used for the sustained delivery of bioactive molecules that can treat various injuries, diseases, and tissue defects. However, inserting hydrogel implants without disrupting their functionality and microstructure often requires a large incision, leading to potential complications, such as infection, scarring, and pain. The gel implant is often manually rolled and inserted through a catheter for a minimally invasive delivery. However, success heavily depends on the user’s skills, which can inadvertently damage the implant. To address this issue, we developed a reconfigurable hydrogel patch that can self-fold into a small tube and unfold spontaneously after implantation through a catheter. The hydrogel path was assembled by layering a drug-releasing poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel sheet onto a PEGDA and polyethylenimine (PEI) hydrogel sheet, which rapidly swells and degrades homogeneously at controlled rates. The dynamics of the self-folding and unfolding process could be controlled by differences in the expansion ratio and elastic modulus between the two gel layers according to a mathematical model that closely matched experimental results. The unfolding process triggered a sustained release of the protein cargo. Specifically, the reconfigurable gel loaded with angiopoietin 1 significantly enhanced neovascularization, nearly doubling the vascular density compared to the control group following implantation through a tube with 15% smaller diameter than the original shape of the gel patch. This gel biopatch will be broadly useful for the minimally invasive delivery of a wide array of therapeutic molecules, potentially enhancing therapeutic outcomes.