Cell Microencapsulation for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Cell encapsulation was originally envisioned decades ago as a way to protect cells from the host's immune system to facilitate transplantation therapies and now serves additional roles such as localization of cells to a desired site in the body. In recent years, the pace of progress has increased as novel techniques for fabricating microcapsules have dovetailed with a growing number of biocompatible natural and synthetic polymers suitable for supporting cell growth, proliferation, and secretion of growth factors. This chapter provides an overview of general design parameters important for encapsulation, which include the size of the capsule and permeability to allow or exclude the passage of nutrients, small molecules, and larger proteins, and then discusses various biocompatible materials now used for cell encapsulation. Finally, an overview of emerging therapies-several of which are already in clinical trials-is given including those designed for the treatment of diabetes, cancer, neurological disorders, and liver disease.