A Low-Cost Open Source Device for Cell Microencapsulation.

Miriam Salles Pereira,Luiz Anastacio Alves,Fabio Moyses Lins Dantas,Liana Monteiro Da Fonseca Cardoso,Gabriel Schonwandt Mendes Ferreira,Vinicius Cotta-De-Almeida,Saul Eliahú Mizrahi,Tatiane Barreto Da Silva,Ayla Josma Teixeira

doi:10.3390/ma13225090

Miriam Salles Pereira, Luiz Anastacio Alves + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma13225090

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Abstract

Microencapsulation is a widely studied cell therapy and tissue bioengineering technique, since it is capable of creating an immune-privileged site, protecting encapsulated cells from the host immune system. Several polymers have been tested, but sodium alginate is in widespread use for cell encapsulation applications, due to its low toxicity and easy manipulation. Different cell encapsulation methods have been described in the literature using pressure differences or electrostatic changes with high cost commercial devices (about 30,000 US dollars). Herein, a low-cost device (about 100 US dollars) that can be created by commercial syringes or 3D printer devices has been developed. The capsules, whose diameter is around 500 µm and can decrease or increase according to the pressure applied to the system, is able to maintain cells viable and functional. The hydrogel porosity of the capsule indicates that the immune system is not capable of destroying host cells, demonstrating that new studies can be developed for cell therapy at low cost with microencapsulation production. This device may aid pre-clinical and clinical projects in low- and middle-income countries and is lined up with open source equipment devices.

Highlights

Health technology and research equipment are crucial to improve medical care and pre-clinical experiments in low- and middle-income countries
In view of the difficulties of obtaining human cells to perform the therapeutic procedure, as well as to avoid an immune response against the injected cells, we have developed a low cost device for cellular microencapsulation produced in a 3D printer or associated with syringes
The syringe is connected to the metal needle of the previous 24G device, and the larger gauge external 16G device attached to a printed part (Figure S1, Supplementary Materials), which allows the influx of nitrogen, thereby engaging the part to the gas bulb hose

Summary

Introduction

Health technology and research equipment are crucial to improve medical care and pre-clinical experiments in low- and middle-income countries. In this context, several groups worldwide have developed technology using the concept of “open source equipment and medical devices”. Several groups worldwide have developed technology using the concept of “open source equipment and medical devices” This concept has been essential for the development of the software industry [1,2,3]. Cell microencapsulation technology has been investigated and studied for over 36 years. This proposal was first described in 1964, when Chang microencapsulated mammalian erythrocytes in Materials 2020, 13, 5090; doi:10.3390/ma13225090 www.mdpi.com/journal/materials In keeping with these ideas, we have developed a low cost cell encapsulation device that can be constructed and can be used for cellular transplantation of different cell types.

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