Biodegradable thermoresponsive polymers: applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering

Abstract Thermoresponsive polymers have been investigated for a variety of clinical applications which make use of in situ gelation at physiological temperatures. However, for biomedical applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering, thermoresponsive behavior and tunability must be balanced with biocompatibility and degradation kinetics. Significant research regarding polymer blends and copolymers has been conducted to modulate key characteristics of thermoresponsive polymers, including degradation kinetics and mechanical properties. Additionally, cell sheets, injectable materials, 3D-printed scaffolds, and nanomaterials have been fabricated which harness the thermoresponsive features of such polymers for enhanced control of bioactive molecule delivery and tissue regeneration. This perspective thus highlights important considerations for thermoresponsive hydrogels in tissue engineering and drug delivery, discusses several commonly explored natural and synthetic thermoresponsive polymers, and provides examples of advanced processing and fabrication techniques using thermoresponsive polymers for biomedical applications.