Hydrogel polymers have properties well suited for cell encapsulation and are increasingly being used for cell transplantation experiments in animal models. Tailoring hydrogels so that their light-transmission capabilities can be exploited adds new functionality. As shown by Choi et al., modifications of the shape and structure of poly(ethylene glycol)-based hydrogels can improve their light-guiding properties. The authors found that longer polymers yielded a higher transparency after cross-linking. They implanted patches of hydrogels containing cells in awake, freely moving mice for several days to characterize the long-term transparency, biocompatibility, cell viability and light-guiding properties. They then used these light-guiding hydrogels for optogenetic stimulation of glucagon-like peptide 1–secreting cells in a mouse model of diabetes and for real-time in vivo readouts of quantum-dot toxicity in reporter cells.
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Light-guiding hydrogels. Nat Methods 10, 1148 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2744
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmeth.2744