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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Biomaterials. 2018 Jan 8;160:24–36. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2018.01.012

Figure 1. Enzyme-triggered on-demand stiffening of biomimetic hydrogels for in vitro cancer cell research.

Figure 1

(A) Schematic of a tumor microenvironment with various matrix proteins and glycosaminoglycans (e.g., HA). Accumulation of these ECM leads to matrix stiffening and tumor progression. (B) Chemical structure of GelNB-HPA, (C) Chemical structure of THA. (D) Schematic of light and photoinitiator (LAP) induced thiol-norbornene crosslinking. (E) Schematic of tyrosinase-triggered di-HPA crosslinking and on-demand hydrogel stiffening.