Theme Introduction:
In recent years, hydrogel materials have emerged as a vital support for organoid construction and functional optimization due to their outstanding tunability and biocompatibility. Acting as a three-dimensional scaffold that mimics the in vivo environment, hydrogels profoundly influence organoid development and tissue differentiation through their physicochemical properties—such as mechanical strength, porosity, and bioactivity. At the same time, the dynamic interactions between hydrogels and the organoid microenvironment play a critical role in regulating cellular behavior, signal transduction, and tissue homeostasis. These interactions are key to achieving high-fidelity simulation of physiological and pathological conditions in vitro.
This special issue focuses on the latest advances in hydrogel materials for regulating organoid development and simulating microenvironments. We aim to bring together cutting-edge research in fundamental science, material innovation, and translational applications. We warmly invite researchers worldwide to submit original research articles, reviews, and perspective papers that will help drive the deeper development and interdisciplinary integration of hydrogel-enabled organoid technologies.
Submission Deadline: March 31, 2026
Topics of Interest Include (but are not limited to):
- Mechanistic studies on the influence of hydrogel physicochemical properties on organoid development
- Development of high-throughput screening platforms for organoids based on hydrogel scaffolds
- Studies on the interactions between hydrogels and the organoid microenvironment
- Programmable/responsive hydrogels facilitating organoid differentiation and tissue organization
- Cross-disciplinary innovation and translational applications of hydrogel-enabled organoid technologies
- Optimization of hydrogel materials for personalized disease modeling with organoids
- Multi-omics integration and data mining in organoid-hydrogel systems
- Design and application of bioactive hydrogel-based targeted drug delivery systems in organoid drug screening
- Ethical, standardization, and reproducibility challenges in hydrogel-based organoid research
Commissioning Editor:
Dr. Zhou Ye is currently an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Hong Kong and the Committee Member of the Society of Dental Material Science of Chinese Stomatological Association (CSA). He has obtained a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and then a PhD degree in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech. Then he completed two postdoctoral trainings at the University of Minnesota and the University of Notre Dame. His research interests include supramolecular biomaterials, smart materials, and novel oral medical devices. He has published over 60 SCI papers, with more than 30 of them as the first or corresponding author in internationally renowned journals, such as Advanced Materials, Advanced Functional Materials, ACS Nano, Bioactive Materials and Journal of Dental Research. He serves as the editorial board member of Organoid Research and Translational Dental Research and young editorial board member of BMEMat. He has been honored with the Hong Kong RGC Early Career Award and the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) Innovation in Oral Care Awards.
Dr. Jiawei YANG obtained her MSc in Biomaterials (Distinction) and PhD in Biomaterials Science and Dental Technology from the University of Manchester, UK. Then she worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital Affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. Now she works as a post-doctoral fellow at the Faculty of Dentistry, the University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on dental biomaterials, ROS dynamic regulation and AI-assisted clinical decision-making, etc. Till now, she has published 19 papers, with over 290 citations and an H-index of 9. She has been awarded a Post-Doctoral Fellowship Incentive Plan, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the 2024 IADR Centennial Travel Award for New Investigators, totaling 6 invention patents applied and 5 authorized.
Dr. Jie YAN obtained her MEng in Chemical Engineering from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and her PhD in Medical Sciences from University of South Australia, Australia. She is currently working as a post-doctoral fellow at the Faculty of Dentistry, the University of Hong Kong. Her research focuses on synthetic chemistry, polymer chemistry, design and characterization of polymer-based materials, and the design and application of hydrogels for biomedical applications.