Encapsulated cell technology

Abstract

The potential therapeutic applications of encapsulated cells are enormous. In the US alone, it has been estimated that nearly half-a-trillion dollars are spent each year to care for patients who suffer tissue loss or dysfunction. Over 6 million patients suffer from neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, over 14 million patients suffer from diabetes, and millions more from liver failure, hemophilia, and other diseases caused by the loss of specific vital cellular functions. It appears likely that by the end of the decade clinical trials of encapsulated cells to treat many of these diseases will become a reality. The Food and Drug Administration has already authorized studies to evaluate the safety and biological activity of several types of systems. A number of issues will have to be addressed, including the sourcing of raw materials, the design and building of manufacturing facilities, the scale-up and optimization process, storage and distribution of the product, and quality control.

Self-Assembled Three Dimensional Radio Frequency (RF) Shielded Containers for Cell Encapsulation

“…For example, a wide range of cell lines have been enclosed within semi permeable and biocompatible immobilization devices that control cell release and the bidirectional diffusion of molecules (Lanza et al, 1996;Orive et al, 2002). Transplanted cells have been used to secrete hormones (O 'Shea and Sun, 1986), neurotransmitters (Aebischer et al, 1991), growth/inhibition factors (Sagot et al, 1995) and for gene therapy (Pizzorusso et al, 1997).…”

Scaffolding in tissue engineering: general approaches and tissue-specific considerations

“…Naturally occurring polysaccharides derived from algae, sodium alginate is the most commonly used material while other natural materials such as agarose [10] and chitosan [130] and synthetic materials such as poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) [83] and polyvinylalcohol (PVA) [58] are also used. The most well-known application is xenogenic pancreatic cell transplantation for diabetes [41,66] while applications for other disorders such as CNS insufficiency [86] and liver failure [24] are also reported. For immunoisolation to work, biomaterials encapsulating the cells need to be crosslinked or processed to become impenetrable to cells, impermeable to large molecules such as antibodies and cellular antigens but permeable to nutrients such as oxygen and glucose, metabolites such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid, and secreted therapeutic biomolecules from the encapsulated cells such as insulin from pancreatic beta cells.…”

“…Cell encapsulation in self-assembled hydrogel matrix Encapsulation is a process entrapping living cells within the confines of a semi-permeable membrane or within a homogenous solid mass [66,86,87,113]. The biomaterials used for encapsulation are usually hydrogels, which are formed by covalent or ionic crosslinking of water-soluble polymers.…”

Recent Applications of Polymeric Biomaterials and Stem Cells in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

“…The kidney is a complex organ with multiple cell types and a complex functional anatomy that renders it one of the most difficult organs to reconstruct. 140 Previous efforts in tissue engineering of the kidney have been directed toward the development of extracorporeal renal support systems made of biological and synthetic components, [141][142][143][144][145] and ex vivo renal replacement devices are known to be life-sustaining. Patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD) would benefit tremendously if these devices could be implanted long-term without the need for an extracorporeal perfusion circuit or immunosuppressive drugs.…”