Short to ultrashort peptide hydrogels for biomedical uses

Hydrogels can offer cells an extracellular matrix-like growth environment which traditional culture methods cannot provide. Hydrogels therefore have great value in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. In this article, we pay special attention to peptide-based hydrogels, which we further classified into short (<= 20 residues) or ultrashort (<= 7 residues) peptides. The design principles of these peptides are presented, and, based on their technical advantages and potential, biomedical applications are discussed.