MICROFLUIDIC FORMATION OF CELL-LADEN HYDROGEL MODULES FOR TISSUE ENGINEERING - Micro and Nanotechnologies in Engineering Stem Cells and Tissues - page 193

FIGURE 8.4 (a) Schematic diagram of transplantation using cell-laden hydrogel modules.
Because hydrogel protect the invasion of immune antibodies, encapsulated cells can live for a
long time without immune reactions. (b) Laparoscopic view of the omentum of a patient with
type 1 diabetes 9 years after transplantation of alginate capsules encapsulating porcine islets. 49
(c) Fiber is implanted in the mouse ear to continuously monitor the glucose level. 50 (d) The
implanted fiber is easily removed from the ear. 50 (e) Fluorescent image of the mouse ear
containing the fiber. The fiber transmits fluorescent signals continuously depending on blood
glucose concentration. 50 (f) Fluorescent image of the mouse ear after fiber removal. The image
shows that leaving debris. 50 the implanted fibers are retrieved from the ear without

(b) Copyright 2007 John Wiley and Sons.

living organisms. Encapsulation of cells protects them from immune antibodies and
mechanical stress, so the cells remain viable for a long time ( 1 year) after the

transplantation. 48 Moreover, because the encapsulated cells express the cellular
functions, alginate-based beads containing cells have potential to be considered as
new therapeutic devices. For instance, islet cells encapsulated in alginate beads can
control blood glucose levels in vivo for a long period and thus show potential to
provide treatment for patients with diabetes (Fig. 8.4b). 49
Recently, cells encapsulated in hydrogel tubes and fibers have been pro-
posed. 28,30,31 The fibers and tubes have advantages over beads for long-term
implantation in vivo (i.e., they can remain at the implantation space for a long
period, but beads disperse from the implantation area). Also, fibers and tubes can be

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