“…12,13 Hybridoma cells have been immobilized in different matrices such as calcium alginate beads, 14 alginatepoly-L-lysine (alginate-PLL) microcapsules, 11 polyacrylate-alginate gels, 15 agarose beads, 16 polyester fibrous matrices, 17 criogel matrices composed of polyacrylamide-chitosan (PAAC), poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)-chitosan polyacrylonitrile (PAN), and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) 18 or adsorbed on open porous carriers made of borosilicate glass. 19 Sol-gel technology consists in the polymerization of inorganic silica precursors taking place in mild, biocompatible conditions and has proved to be a suitable tool for the immobilization of biomolecules, [20][21][22] microorganisms, [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] parasites, 32,33 algae 34,35 and plant cells. 36 Furthermore, these inorganic matrices have also been successfully used for the entrapment of animal cells.…”