Hydrogel Platform Mimics Tissue, Light-Controlled

New material helps researchers better understand how mechanical environments influence cell behavior

Mar. 17, 2026 at 5:22am

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Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a water-rich, Jell-O-like material that more closely mimics how real tissues move, stretch and relax and whose liquid or solid state can be precisely controlled by light. This new hydrogel platform will help scientists understand how mechanical cues from tissues affect cells, which could improve understanding of disease and cell development.

Why it matters

The new hydrogel platform provides a more realistic 3D environment for studying cell behavior compared to traditional cell culture on rigid plastic surfaces. This could lead to better insights into disease, drug responses, and cell development processes.

The details

The hydrogel is shaped using light-based photopolymerization, allowing precise control over its mechanical properties and the encapsulation of cells. Researchers found that intestinal organoids, when placed in a hydrogel with similar viscoelastic properties to real tissue, took on natural shapes and expressed the right proteins, behaving more like they do in the body. The long-term goal is to use 3D printing to produce large, cell-laden arrays of the new material for drug testing and disease modeling.

  • The research was recently published in the journal Matter in 2026.

The players

Kristi Anseth

Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who directed the research project.

Bruce Kirkpatrick

The paper's first author and a third-year medical student at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Abhishek Dhand

Co-first author, PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Lea Hibbard

Co-first author, PhD student in Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder.

Jason Burdick

Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder who was involved in the project.

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What they’re saying

“The convention of growing cells on plastic for drug testing is problematic because plastic is stiff, while human tissue is flexible. Unless you're studying bone or other cells adapted to rigid environments, it's not an appropriate mechanical setting for studying how cells respond to drugs.”

— Bruce Kirkpatrick, Paper's first author and third-year medical student (Mirage News)

“With photopolymerization, we can control exactly how much light is applied, where it goes and when the hydrogel forms. The amount of light determines how much the material gels and its resulting mechanical properties. It gives researchers control over the shape, timing of cell encapsulation and spatial variation in properties.”

— Bruce Kirkpatrick, Paper's first author and third-year medical student (Mirage News)

“These findings suggest that viscoelasticity is essential for proper cell function and organization.”

— Bruce Kirkpatrick, Paper's first author and third-year medical student (Mirage News)

What’s next

The researchers' long-term goal is to use three-dimensional printing to produce large, cell-laden arrays of the new material for drug testing or disease modeling.

The takeaway

This new hydrogel platform provides a more realistic 3D environment for studying cell behavior, which could lead to better insights into disease, drug responses, and cell development processes compared to traditional cell culture on rigid plastic surfaces.