Ferrogels: A wonder material from mechanobiological perspective

Abstract

Forces generated intrinsically or perceived externally by cells have significant implications in cell development biology. This relatively nascent field, mechanobiology, is currently being investigated widely in almost every dimension of biological sciences. From a biomedical point of view, hydrogels, a hydrated network of polymer molecules, have provided many excellent scaffold platforms. Moreover, applying extrinsic force to the cells using a magnetic field has always been preferred. In such a scenario, ferrogel, which is hydrogel incorporating magnetically active nanomaterials, offers an exciting platform that can provide cells with their required niche and apply a controlled amount of extrinsic force using a magnetic field. From tissue engineering to 3D Bioprinting and developing biosensing platforms, ferrogels are gaining tremendous attention worldwide. Therefore, the current literature will focus on the mechanobiological importance of ferrogels and their potential application in biomedicine.