Engineering immune niches: biochemical, mechanical, and spatial design principles for translational hydrogels

This Mini-Review explores the role of engineered translational hydrogels in immune engineering, focusing on their ability to modulate immune niches and serve as in vivo model systems. It discusses how biochemical cues like antigens and cytokines influence cell activation and entry into niches, while biophysical properties such as stiffness and porosity affect cellular behavior. Adhesion motifs are highlighted as signals that link biochemical and mechanical interactions. The review emphasizes the importance of spatial and multi-omic technologies in understanding the architecture of hydrogel-associated niches. It concludes that collaboration among materials scientists, immunologists, and computational biologists is essential to develop design principles for engineering immune niches to enhance therapeutic outcomes.