In Situ‐Forming Cross‐linking Hydrogel Systems: Chemistry and Biomedical Applications

With the development of chemical synthetic strategies and available building blocks, in situ‐forming hydrogels have attracted significant attention in the biomedical fields over the past decade. Due to their distinct properties of easy management and minimal invasiveness via simple aqueous injections at target sites, in situ‐forming hydrogels have found a broad spectrum of biomedical applications including tissue engineering, drug delivery, gene delivery, 3D bioprinting, wound healing, antimicrobial research, and cancer research. The objective of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive review of updated research methods in chemical synthesis of in situ‐forming cross‐linking hydrogel systems and their diverse applications in the biomedical fields. This chapter concludes with perspectives on the future development of in situ‐forming hydrogels to facilitate this multidisciplinary field.