NIH funds UCLA biomaterials breakthroughs for eye repair and wound healing

UCLA chemical engineering associate professor Nasim Annabi has secured nearly $2.5 million in NIH grants to develop tunable regenerative biomaterials: a four-year, light-curable hydrogel that encapsulates mesenchymal stem cells to treat corneal injuries, and a two-year, roughly $368,000 award to improve UgiGel, a gelatin-based self-healing bioadhesive dressing with anti-inflammatory properties for chronic wound healing. The corneal project aims to enhance cell retention and tissue regeneration with two hydrogel variants (softer adhesive for epithelium growth and stronger adhesive for tissue repair), while the wound-dressing work seeks stronger adhesion, antioxidant improvements, and temperature-responsive removal, in collaboration with dermatology and medicine researchers at UCLA.