Encapsulated Arrays of Self-Assembled Microtissues: An Alternative to Spherical Microcapsules

Micro-encapsulation and immuno-isolation of allogenic and xenogenic tissues and cells is a promising method for the treatment of a variety of metabolic disorders. Many years have been spent optimizing spherical microcapsules, yet micro-encapsulation has not achieved its full clinical potential. As a...

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Published inTissue engineering. Part A Vol. 15; no. 2; pp. 387 - 395
Main Authors Rago, Adam P., Chai, Peter R., Morgan, Jeffrey R.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 01.02.2009
Subjects
Albumins - secretion
Alginates - pharmacology
Capsules - chemistry
Care and treatment
Cell culture
Cell Survival - drug effects
Cellular biology
Design engineering
Glucuronic Acid - pharmacology
Hep G2 Cells
Hexuronic Acids - pharmacology
Humans
Metabolic diseases
Metabolism
Original Papers
Tissue Engineering
Tissue microarrays
Rhode Island
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Summary:Micro-encapsulation and immuno-isolation of allogenic and xenogenic tissues and cells is a promising method for the treatment of a variety of metabolic disorders. Many years have been spent optimizing spherical microcapsules, yet micro-encapsulation has not achieved its full clinical potential. As an alternative to spherical microcapsules, this study presents an alginate-encapsulated array of self-assembled three-dimensional (3D) microtissues. Monodispersed HepG2 cells were seeded onto a micro-molded agarose gel. Cells settled to the bottom of the mold recesses and self-assembled 3D microtissues ( n  = 822) within 24 h. This array of densely packed microtissues was encapsulated in situ using alginate. When separated from the agarose micro-mold, the encapsulated array had HepG2 microtissues in close proximity to its surface. This surface could be further modified by a simple dipping process. Microtissue size, viability, and albumin secretion were all controllable by the number of cells seeded onto the original agarose micro-mold, and microtissue shape and spacing were controllable by the design of the micro-mold. This approach to encapsulation and the use of self-assembled/self-packing 3D microtissues offers new design possibilities that may help to address certain limitations of conventional microcapsules.
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ISSN:1937-3341
1937-335X
DOI:10.1089/ten.tea.2008.0107