Rapidly Assembling Pentapeptides for Injectable Delivery (RAPID) Hydrogels as Cytoprotective Cell Carriers

Low cell survival after syringe injection hampers the success of preclinical and clinical cell transplantation trials. During syringe injection, cells experience mechanical forces that lead to cell-membrane disruption and decreased viability. To improve cell survival, we designed rapidly assembling pentapeptides for injectable delivery (RAPID) hydrogels that shear-thin, protect cells from extensional flow, form fibers, and provide mechanical properties similar to native tissue. We found that 1.5 wt % RAPID hydrogels mitigate the damaging effects of extensional flow, resulting in significantly greater cell viability (of common laboratory cell lines, primary cells, and human cells) than cells injected in PBS.