Thiolbased click reactions have played a key role in the synthesis of biomaterial scaffolds for regenerative medicine applications. Of particular importance has been their use in creating cellladen hydrogel matrices for both fundamental and translational applications. ThiolX reactions are often exploited in biological applications as they allow for the facile incorporation of biofunctional components, which has led to many key advancements for the field of tissue engineering. In this chapter, we summarize the important considerations for cytocompatible macromolecular monomer design and subsequent cellular encapsulation in hydrogel formulations. Briefly, we review the main thiolX reactions that have been used to synthesize hydrogel cell scaffold systems; provide a generalized protocol for the preparation of cellladen hydrogels; present highlights that demonstrate specific advantages of thiolX reactions and advances in their application in regenerative medicine research; and conclude with a prospectus on future directions for the field in using thiolX chemistries to engineer more advanced hydrogel materials.
