Combating Fungal Infections Using Responsive Hydrogels for Drug Delivery

摘要

We were able to develop a target-triggered hydrogel system that responds to Saps secreted by pathogenic C. albicans. This approach may allow us to locally deliver controlled doses of drug in a manner that delays drug resistance. Future work includes further tuning hydrogel degradation rates by varying backbone polymer concentrations, molecular weights, and responsiveness to Saps. The hydrogel can be modified to incorporate multiple triggers, allowing it to respond to additional fungal species and bacterial infections.