{
  "id": 3539867,
  "title": "Researchers develop hydrogels to create a programmable niche for blood stem cells",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/researchers-develop-hydrogels-to-create-a-programmable-niche-for",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-26T16:20:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-08-hydrogels-programmable-niche-blood-stem.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden have created a peptide-glycosaminoglycan hydrogel system that can create a programmable niche for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Led by Ayala Lampel and Carsten Werner, this system imitates the key biochemical and mechanical cues found in the bone marrow microenvironment. The study, published in Advanced Functional Materials, tackles the challenge of expanding HSPCs while maintaining their therapeutic properties. By adjusting the degree of sulfation in heparin-derived glycosaminoglycans, researchers can modify the hydrogel's stiffness and cytokine-binding capacity independently. This tunable 3D niche provides a platform to study how various cellular environment factors influence HSPC behavior. The principle of sulfation-based tunability could be applied to other niche-dependent cell types, opening up possibilities for hydrogel applications in various biomedical fields.",
  "summary": "A research team from Tel Aviv University and the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden (IPF), led by Ayala Lampel and Carsten Werner, has developed a peptide-glycosaminoglycan hydrogel system that creates a programmable niche for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The system mimics key biochemical and mechanical cues of the bone marrow microenvironment, enabling researchers…",
  "key_points": [
    "Tel Aviv University and Dresden researchers developed a peptide-glycosaminoglycan hydrogel system.",
    "Hydrogel mimics bone marrow microenvironment for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.",
    "Sulfation degree in hydrogel adjusts stiffness and cytokine-binding capacity independently."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}