Fabrication and Property Studies of Multifunctional Hydrogel Dressing for Promoting Wound Healing: Introducing Chemistry Students to the Applications of Hydrogels in Biomedical Fields

Interdisciplinary integration is an inevitable trend in the development of science and technology, as well as the reform and development of higher education. With the rapid development of biomaterials in the pharmaceutical and medical industries, many undergraduate students in chemistry and materials science have been focusing on life sciences as well as pursuing careers in healthcare. Hydrogel, as a kind of biomaterial, has been widely applied in biomedical fields including 3D cell culture, protein delivery, controlled release of drugs, and tissue engineering repair due to its excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and similarity with human soft tissue in composition, structure, and properties. Therefore, we believe that it is crucial for undergraduates to be exposed to the fabrication and property studies of biomedical hydrogel before they pursue further graduate education or a career in biomedical fields. In this laboratory experiment, a multifunctional hydrogel dressing fabricated by methacryloyl hyaluronic acid (HA-GMA) and tannic acid (TA) for skin wound healing is designed for the undergraduates. This interdisciplinary experiment not only covers the hydrogel’s preparation, structural characterization, and physical multifunction measurement but also involves its biological multifunctional evaluation for promoting wound healing at the cell/bacterial level. Students indicate that this experiment reflects the interdisciplinary of chemistry, materials, and biology, which reinforces their chemistry experiment skills, expands their interdisciplinary knowledge and experimental skills, enriches their exposure to instruments, and increases their interest in the medicinal applications of biomaterials.