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A hydrogel made at Rice University consists of custom peptide fibers with spaces – “missing teeth” – that can trap and deliver hydrophobic small-molecule drugs. Credit: I-Che Li/Rice University

Custom hydrogel traps water-avoiding molecules for slow delivery. A gap-toothed peptide created by bioengineers at Rice University may be an efficient way to deliver insoluble drugs to precise locations in the body. Rice bioengineer Jeffrey Hartgerink and his students made a hydrogel of what they call “missing tooth” peptide nanofibers. Gaps in the fibers are designed to hold drug molecules that have hydrophobic properties. The biodegradable gel can be injected where needed and releases the medication over time.

Hydrogels built of custom peptides are a specialty of Hartgerink’s lab, which has introd...