A novel synthetic microfiber with controllable size for cell encapsulation and culture

• DOI: 10.1039/c6tb00209a
• Publication Date: 2016-03-09T10:33:21Z
• Authors: Fang Wu; Xiao-Jie Ju; Xiao-Heng He; Ming-Yue Jiang; Wei Wang; Zhuang Liu; Rui Xie; Bin He; Liang-Yin Chu
• Keywords: Microfiber; Encapsulation

A facile and controllable microfluidic strategy is developed to fabricate synthetic microfibers of crosslinked 4-arm polyethylene glycol with maleimide end groups (PEG-4Mal) for cell encapsulation culture high viability. The gelling condition in this mild the crosslinking process rapid, thus guaranteeing viability encapsulated cells. diameters PEG-4Mal are precisely adjustable by simply changing flowrates inner outer fluids devices. prepared possess excellent permselectivity, which could not only guarantee normal metabolism cells but also provide immunoisolation MC3T3 NIH3T3 successfully into microfibers, formed enable culture. proposed show great potential as efficient systems many biomedical applications culture, therapy tissue engineering.