MICROFLUIDIC FABRICATION OF MONODISPERSE DEGRADABLE CELL-SUPPORTIVE HYDROGEL MICROPARTICLES (MICROGELS)

Microgels, hydrogels of dimensions <1 mm, offer many favorable properties in biomedical applications; however, existing cell-laden microgels typically suffer from inadequate long-term stability that significantly limits their application for the long-term implantation of cells intended to continually release therapeutic products. In this work, we have applied our newly developed injectable zwitterionic hydrogel formulation inside a droplet-based microfluidic platform to fabricate slow-degrading microgels that can maintain high cell viability. The physical (size, mechanics) and biological (cell viability) properties of the cell-laden microgels were assessed and optimized. Besides the preliminary results demonstrating the hydrogels' ability to support both viability and proliferation, long degradation times (>6 months) are also anticipated for the microgels owing to their chemical and physical properties. This work is envisaged to open new avenues for biomedical applications such as cell therapy, tissue regeneration, and bioprinting.