Microfluidic Manufacturing of Alginate Fibers with Encapsulated Astrocyte Cells

Abstract

Encapsulating cells within microfibers allows for immobilization with a high degree of spatial-temporal control. Furthermore, microfluidic encapsulation allows for the continuous creation of tunable fibers using mild, cell-friendly gelation conditions, making it advantageous over other fabrication methods. Mouse astrocyte cells (MACs) encapsulated within microfluidically produced alginate fibers had a 24 h survival rate of up to 89%, with up to 60% of cells surviving 11 days of encapsulation. The Young's modulus values of both dry and wet fibers were found to be within the range of 400 and 17 000 MPa for dry fibers and 20 and 90 MPa for wet fibers and wet cell-encapsulated fibers. Porosities between 12% and 92% were achieved.