Hyaluronic acid (HA), a ubiquitous immunoneutral polysaccharide in the human body, is crucial for various cellular and tissue functions and has been clinically used for over thirty years. Chemically modified HA can be transformed into various physical forms, including viscoelastic solutions, hydrogels, fibers, meshes, sponges, sheets, and nanoparticulate fluids, for use in preclinical and clinical settings. These forms are often derived from the chemical crosslinking of pendant reactive groups using addition/condensation chemistry or radical polymerization. Clinical products for cell therapy and regenerative medicine require crosslinking chemistry that is compatible with cell encapsulation and injection into tissues. Many HA-derived hydrogels meet these criteria and can deliver cells and therapeutic agents for tissue repair and regeneration. The progress report covers basic concepts and recent advances in the development of HA-based hydrogels for biomedical applications. It discusses the chemical reactions of HA derivatives, including thiol-modified HA, haloacetate-modified HA, dihydrazide-modified HA, aldehyde-modified HA, tyramine-modified HA, and Huisgen cycloaddition (click chemistry). The applications of these hydrogels in cell delivery, molecule delivery, cell expansion and recovery, drug evaluation, tumor models, and effects of matrix elasticity are also explored. Additionally, the processing methods such as centrifugal casting, electrospinning, electrospraying, and bioprinting are discussed. The report also covers photopolymerization and electropolymerization reactions to form HA hydrogels, including reactions with methacrylic anhydride, glycidyl methacrylate, hydrolytically degradable esters, and electropolymerizable pyrrole-HA. The applications of these hydrogels in cartilage tissue engineering, cardiac repair, molecule delivery, valvular engineering, and control of stem cell behavior are detailed.Hyaluronic acid (HA), a ubiquitous immunoneutral polysaccharide in the human body, is crucial for various cellular and tissue functions and has been clinically used for over thirty years. Chemically modified HA can be transformed into various physical forms, including viscoelastic solutions, hydrogels, fibers, meshes, sponges, sheets, and nanoparticulate fluids, for use in preclinical and clinical settings. These forms are often derived from the chemical crosslinking of pendant reactive groups using addition/condensation chemistry or radical polymerization. Clinical products for cell therapy and regenerative medicine require crosslinking chemistry that is compatible with cell encapsulation and injection into tissues. Many HA-derived hydrogels meet these criteria and can deliver cells and therapeutic agents for tissue repair and regeneration. The progress report covers basic concepts and recent advances in the development of HA-based hydrogels for biomedical applications. It discusses the chemical reactions of HA derivatives, including thiol-modified HA, haloacetate-modified HA, dihydrazide-modified HA, aldehyde-modified HA, tyramine-modified HA, and Huisgen cycloaddition (click chemistry). The applications of these hydrogels in cell delivery, molecule delivery, cell expansion and recovery, drug evaluation, tumor models, and effects of matrix elasticity are also explored. Additionally, the processing methods such as centrifugal casting, electrospinning, electrospraying, and bioprinting are discussed. The report also covers photopolymerization and electropolymerization reactions to form HA hydrogels, including reactions with methacrylic anhydride, glycidyl methacrylate, hydrolytically degradable esters, and electropolymerizable pyrrole-HA. The applications of these hydrogels in cartilage tissue engineering, cardiac repair, molecule delivery, valvular engineering, and control of stem cell behavior are detailed.