Coloured boxes indicate the type of biomedical application: cancer therapy (orange), bone regeneration (blue), immunomodulation (yellow), cardiac repair (red) and angiogenesis (grey). ACpG-STAT3, cytosine-phosphorothioate-guanine-signal transducer and activator of transcription 3; DextranVS, dextran vinylsulfone; GelMA, gelatin methacryloyl; HP-HA-PEG, a thiol-modified analogue of heparin-thiol-modified hyaluronan-poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate; hyd, hydrogel; IL, interleukin; MPEG, methoxypolyethylene glycol; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; PAA, polyacrylamide; PCL, poly(ε-caprolactone); PE, polyethylene; PEG4SH, tetra-thiolated polyethyleneglycol; PEI-DA, deoxycholic acid-modified polyethylenimine polymeric conjugates; PLA-DX-PEG, poly-d,l-lactic acid-p-dioxanone-polyethylene glycol block copolymer; PLK, serine/threonine-protein kinase; Rb1/Meis2, retinoblastoma1/meis homeobox 2; RGM, RNA gene for miRNAs; SPARC, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine15–40.