Project description
Decoding hydrogel structure to predict drug delivery and transport
The performance of hydrogels – soft, porous materials used in medical, filtration and energy devices – depends on their transport properties. Little is known about non-equilibrium swelling and drying behaviours or how structural variation affects transport properties. Models have not been validated against empirical data. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the CRYO-GEL project aims to fill these gaps. It will develop a freezing-based assay enabling controlled water flow, track transport in situ via advanced imaging techniques, and develop a predictive model integrating microstructural effects on permeability and solute diffusion. This first experimentally validated design framework will accelerate the development of programmable hydrogels for socioeconomically important sectors.
Objective
Hydrogels are soft, elastic, and porous materials widely used in drug delivery, tissue engineering, filtration, and energy devices, where their performance depends on transport properties such as hydraulic permeability, poroelastic diffusivity, and solute diffusivity. However, current knowledge is limited: most measurements are restricted to fully swollen gels, and little is known about how swelling, drying, heterogeneity, or anisotropy affect transport. Conventional flow-based assays are slow, imprecise, and cannot capture dynamic changes, while theoretical models for solute diffusion remain untested against systematic experimental data. This project addresses these challenges by developing a freezing-based assay that uses cryosuction and thermal regelation to drive controlled water flow through microlitre-scale hydrogel particles while tracking swelling and solute transport in situ with confocal imaging, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, and scattering techniques. Three work packages will build and validate the platform, map how microstructure governs permeability and poroelastic transport, and establish predictive models of solute diffusion validated in drug-release assays. The outcome will be the first experimentally validated framework linking hydrogel structure, swelling, and transport, distilled into open design rules. These insights will accelerate the design of programmable hydrogels for targeted therapies, tissue scaffolds, pollutant filtration, energy devices, and food packaging, delivering broad and lasting scientific and societal impact.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
8092 Zuerich
Switzerland
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.