A new family of cationic hybrid hydrogels from two new positively charged aqueous soluble precursors, glycidyl methacrylate-chitosan (GMA-chitosan), and 2-(acryloyloxy) ethyl trimethylammonium (AETA), was developed via a simple photocrosslinking fabrication method. These hybrid hydrogels have pendant quaternary ammonium functional groups on the AETA segments. The chemical composition of GMA-chitosan/AETA hybrid hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and their mechanical, swelling, and morphological properties were examined as a function of the composition of the hybrids as well as the effect of pH and ionic strength of the surrounding medium. GMA-chitosan/AETA hybrid hydrogels show a porous network structure with average pore diameter 20-50 m. The compression moduli of these hybrid hydrogels ranged from 27.24 to 28.94 kPa, which are significantly higher than a pure GMA-chitosan (17.64 kPa). GMA-chitosan/AETA hybrid hydrogel shows pH/ionic strength responsive swelling behavior because of the presence of the positive charge pendant groups. These hybrid hydrogels showed a sustained BSA protein release and a significantly lower initial burst release than a pure GMA-chitosan hydrogel. The two aqueous soluble precursors and the cationic charge characteristics of the resulting GMA-chitosan/AETA hybrid hydrogels may suggest that this new family of biomaterials may have promising applications as the pH responsive protein drug delivery vehicles. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 130: 3736-3745, 2013