Artificial cells for oral delivery of live bacterial cells for therapy - Artificial Cells, Cell Engineering and Therapy - page 200

8.4 Principle of artificial cells for oral delivery of

bacterial cells for therapy

Artificial cell microencapsulation is a concept wherein biologically active
materials are encapsulated in specialized ultra-thin semipermeable polymer
membranes. 137±141 Designed for a plethora of applications, artificial cells have
been made to combine properties of biological systems such as nanoscale
efficiency, self-organization and adaptability at relatively low cost. The polymer
membrane can protect encapsulated materials from harsh external environments
while at the same time allowing for the metabolism of selected solutes capable
of passing into and out of the microcapsule. In this manner, the enclosed
material (in this case live bacteria) can be retained inside and separated from the
external environment, making microencapsulation particularly useful for
biomedical and clinical applications (Fig. 8.1). Consequently, when they are

8.1 Principle for oral administration of microencapsulated live bacterial cells for
therapy. Live bacterial cells can be encased in a polymeric matrix which allows
diffusion of nutrients, wastes and protein products while acting as a barrier to
the conduits of the immune system once the cells are ingested by a patient.
Also, small molecules (including some peptides) produced by the enclosed
bacterial cells can be designed to diffuse out into the body for therapeutic
purposes.