A Polyacrylamide Gel with Reversible DNA Crosslinks

This study investigates the use of polyacrylamide hydrogel as the basis for a novel approach to biomaterials engineering. In this system, DNA replaces bis as the crosslinking agent. Using DNA introduces a number of additional parameters that can be manipulated to influence the mechanical properties of the material. It also allows the crosslinking process to be reversible wihtout the addition of heat, reverting the solid hydrogel to the viscous liquid state of uncrosslinked polyacrylamide.