Abstract
Hydrogels in which cells are encapsulated are of great potential interest for tissue engineering applications. These gels provide a structure inside which cells can spread and proliferate. Such structures benefit from controlled microarchitectures that can affect the behavior of the enclosed cells. Microfabrication-based techniques are emerging as powerful approaches to generate such cell-encapsulating hydrogel structures. In this paper we introduce common hydrogels and their crosslinking methods and review the latest microscale approaches for generation of cell containing gel particles. We specifically focus on microfluidics-based methods and on techniques such as micromolding and electrospinning.
Highlights
The field of tissue engineering aims to generate tissues in the laboratory for culture, drug screening, and for organ transplantation purposes [1,2,3,4]
We briefly introduce common hydrogels used in bioengineering and their prospective crosslinking methods
Degradability is an important characteristic of cell containing materials in tissue engineering applications, nondegradable hydrogels, such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), can be used in certain cases
Summary
The field of tissue engineering aims to generate tissues in the laboratory for culture, drug screening, and for organ transplantation purposes [1,2,3,4]. The small experimental scale allows for an independent control over several experimental parameters, e.g., number and density of cells or size and shape of the cell-laden polymer structure. This enables controlled handling of cells for encapsulation in natural or synthetic materials. The application of microscale strategies to generate cell-containing polymer structures offers a high level of control over the tissue building process. As such, it enables the development and study of replacement biological tissues. We discuss the applications of these microscale approaches in the context of tissue engineering and cell culture
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