Cell encapsulation systems based on hybrid hydrogels

The entrapment of cells into biomaterials is one of the most appealing and usefulness tool in tissue engineering and cell based therapy applications. Cell encapsulation procedures allow the immunoisolation of cells from the surrounding environment, after their transplantation and the maintenance of the normal cellular physiology. In the current PhD work, various microencapsulation cell procedures are reported, based on a gas driven mono-jet device, a vibrating-nozzle procedure and microfluidics. All the analysed procedures were critically evaluated and applied to cells from different sources. The obtained microcapsules were characterized by excellent morphological characteristics and a very narrow size distribution. Interestingly, the results demonstrated that the microencapsulation procedures did not alter the morphology, viability and functions of the embedded cells. Moreover, the production of engineered microcapsules or microfibres has been also developed with the aim of enhancing mechanical characteristics, viability and functional life-span of the entrapped cells. In conclusion, the encapsulation technologies, here presented, represent a promising strategy for the treatment of many pathologies open to further development and scaling up towards regulatory agencies approval.