In this review, we attempt to give a concise overview of recent progress made in mechanistic understanding of protein aggregation, particulate formation and protein solution rheology. Recent advances in analytical techniques and methods for characterizing protein aggregation and the formed protein particles as well as advancements, technique limitations and controversies in the field of protein solution rheology are discussed. The focus of the review is primarily on biotherapeutics and proteins/antibodies that are relevant to that area. As per the remit of Current Opinion in Colloid and Interface Science, here we attempt to stimulate interest in areas of debate. While the field is certainly not mature enough that all problems may be considered resolved and accepted by consensus, we wish to highlight some areas of controversy and debate that need further attention from the scientific community

Skin wounds are not only an aesthetic concern but also pose great risks to quality of life and general health. As the most promising biomaterial, hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric networks and have attracted intense research attention. Hydrogels have developed a diverse range of biomedical and biopharmaceutical applications, owing to their large water content, biocompatibility, tunable mechanical properties, and stimuli-responsiveness. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels are smart materials which exhibit gelation, structural, degradation, performance and function changes when treated with external stimulations. Using these hydrogels to prepare wound dressing is a rapidly growing research area and has exhibited encouraging healing outcomes in small animal models, especially for the treatment of chronic wounds, diabetic wounds, and persistent skin inflammations. The present work gives a detailed and critical analysis on the design strategies, gelation mechanisms, materials selection, stimuli-responsiveness, hydrogel degradation, drug release profiles, and treatment outcomes of wound dressings prepared by the hydrogels with sensitivity to temperature, pH, reactive oxygen species (ROS), glucose, enzymes, and lights. We summarize, analyze, and critically evaluate the most recent publications in this area to explain, compare, and assess why and how various synthetic and bio-polymers are utilized by materials scientists to develop the next generation of skin wound dressing and regeneration. Graphical abstract

We present an investigation on the effect of inter-micellar connections (branches) on the rheology of wormlike micelles. The system chosen is made of lecithin, minute amounts of water and organic solvents. Lecithin and water self-assemble into wormlike reverse micelles that can be branched or unbranched depending on the oil composition (and on the water content). In this respect, cyclohexane favours disconnected reverse micelles while isooctane promotes the formation of branches. By using mixtures of cyclohexane and isooctane as the oil phase and different water/lecithin ratios, the branch density of the system can be finely tuned. PGSE-NMR experiments allowed us to distinguish between branch-free (unbranched) and branched systems and the response of the very same samples to mechanical stress was measured by rheology. This allows, for the first time, an experimental correlation between rheological properties and the presence of branches. It turned out that the presence of a few inter-micellar connections sensibly decreases the zero-shear viscosity measured in steady state flow curves. Comparison with oscillatory rheology experiments indicates that the main effect of branches is to shorten the terminal relaxation time by speeding-up the reptation.