Date

Tuesday 27 Jan 2026

Time

14:00 - 14:30

Location

BW006

Supervisor

Roxanne Kieltyka

2nd reviewer

Dmitri Filippov

Jury

Edgar M. Blokhuis

In tissue engineering, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is often mimicked to create environments that support and guide cellular behavior. Supramolecular research models offer several advantages over biological matrices for studying cell behavior, including improved tunability, reduced batch-to-batch variability, and a lower risk of immunological responses. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in cell behavior resulting from integrin-mediated adhesion to cyclic versus linear RGD peptides in a photo responsive system. To achieve this, we synthesized bimane photocleavable cell-adhesion peptides (BimcycRGD) and integrated them into squaramide-based hydrogels designed for 3D cell culture (SQ/SQ-BcR, Figure 1). Although the findings raised questions that warrant further investigation, this work provides valuable insights for future studies. Specifically, it demonstrates the potential of using visible light photo responsive light-chemistry to induce cyclic-to-linear conformational change in RGD-peptides. With bimane, UV-light is avoided when initiating cell behavior mechanisms within 3D SQ-based supramolecular hydrogels.