Abstract: Provided are biomaterials useful for cell culture, method of preparation thereof, and use thereof. The present biomaterial comprises a crosslinked hydrogel and a peptide chemically attached to the hydrogel, wherein the peptide comprises a histidine-alanine-valine (HAV) sequence. In particular, the present biomaterial may be useful for culturing neurons, brain endothelial cells, and/or glial cells, supporting the formation of synaptically connected neural networks, and growing stem cell-derived organoids that more closely resemble human organs.