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The widespread use of high-speed and high-energy weapons in modern warfare has led to an increasing incidence of explosive injuries. For such wounds as well as those incurred in disasters and accidents, severe hemorrhage is the leading cause of death.

Light-responsive hydrogels are an emerging class of materials used for developing noninvasive, noncontact, precise and controllable medical devices in a wide range of biomedical applications, including photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, drug delivery and regenerative medicine.

The ability of hydrogels to absorb water arises from hydrophilic functional groups attached to the polymeric backbone, while their resistance to dissolution arises from cross-links between network chains. Many materials, both naturally occurring and synthetic, fit the definition of hydrogels. Natural hydrogels include collagen, silk fibroin, hyaluronic acid, chitosan, alginate and hydrogels derived from decellularized tissues. Their unique properties include: biocompatibility, biodegradability, low cytotoxicity, the possibility to tailor the hydrogel into an injectable gel and their similarity to physiological environment.

Unlike traditional ways of treating cancer, which target rapidly dividing cells as well as healthy ones, “Hydrogels allow you to give targeted doses to the affected areas only,” say De Angulo and Ayoola Smith, a lecturer at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. Smith specializes in pharmacognosy, the study of drugs made from plants and natural sources.

Hydrogels are everywhere. They are water-loving polymers that can absorb and retain water, and can be found in such everyday consumer products such as soft contact lenses, disposable diapers, certain foods, and even in agricultural applications. They are also extremely useful in several medical applications due to their high degree of biocompatibility and their ability to eventually degrade and be reabsorbed into the body.