PEPR POLAR

Polyester-polypeptide hybrids through AI for Regenerative Medicine

Advanced hydrogels are emerging as key materials for regenerative medicine, enabling minimally invasive therapies, tissue repair, and advanced three-dimensional cell culture models. However, the development of clinically relevant hydrogel biomaterials remains limited by the difficulty of identifying polymer compositions that simultaneously provide biocompatibility, controlled degradation, mechanical robustness and biological functionality. The POLAR project, financed by the PEPR DIADEM aims: (i) to develop a new family of biodegradable peptide-polyester copolymers for injectable hydrogel applications in regenerative medicine, and (ii) to establish an autonomous AI-driven workflow for accelerated biomaterials discovery. The project will be carried out in collaboration with Alberto Saiani of the University of Manchester.