In one aspects of the invention, a microcapsule includes a film encapsulating a material. The film is formed by complexation of at least two mutually attractive components initially present in an aqueous dispersion comprising a continuous phase and a dispersed phase. The at least one first component is initially present in the continuous phase and the at least one second component is initially present in the dispersed phase. According to another aspect of the invention, provided is a process for forming microcapsules including the step of injecting a dispersed phase having at least a first component into a continuous phase having at least a second component, where the first component and the second component are mutually attractive, such that a film is formed by complexation of the first charged component and the second charged component.

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions to treat solid tumors. In one embodiment, the method of treating a solid tumor in a patient includes administering at the tumor site a therapeutically effective amount of cytochrome P450 producing cells encapsulated in a capsule and administering a prodrug which is activated by cytochrome P450, wherein the prodrug is administered at least three or more cycles, and wherein each cycle comprises three consecutive daily administration.

A method and system to induce bone growth by locally delivering bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) to the target location for a prolonged period without invasive procedures are disclosed. The new bone growth is induced by delivering cells producing BMPs from transduced viral vectors to the target cite. In various embodiments, the cells are encapsulated in hydrogel microspheres that are non-degradable or degradable by enzymes produced during the bone formation process. Various embodiments may be used to induce spinal fusion or repair critical bone defects.

Products, such as devices, prostheses, and materials, whose surfaces have been modified in order to impart beneficial properties to these products are disclosed. The surface-modified products have improved biocompatibility compared to a corresponding product that lacks the modification. Following implantation in a subject, the surface-modified products induce a lower foreign-body response, compared to a corresponding unmodified product.

A composition is disclosed including a composite microbead that has one or more animal cells embedded therein. The composite microbead has a material matrix composed of silk fibroin and a mixture of modified and unmodified alginate. The composite microbead has reduced disintegration by ion exchange when compared with material lacking the modified alginate. The material matrix is ionically and covalently crosslinked. The animal cells can be on-demand released by contact with a calcium chelator and a reducing agent. The microbeads can be made by introducing droplets of a pre-hydrogel solution including the cells into a crosslinking solution. The resulting microbeads provide the animal cells with an enhanced ability to survive elevated pressures, immunocamouflaging, permselectivity against higher molecular weight molecules, protection from harsh chemical environments, and protection from UV radiation.

The present invention relates to the handling of biological samples, for example, the holding, manipulating and culturing of biological samples. In one form the invention provides an overlay encapsulant for an in vitro cell culture comprising a synthetic compound and in another aspect the invention provides methods of temporarily encapsulating an in vitro cell culture comprising a synthetic compound. The invention has use in relation to the culturing and more particularly the encapsulation of biological samples, such as for example zygotes, embryos, oocytes, stem cells, sperm located in a culturing space, relevant pluripotent derivative(s) and/or differentiated progeny, intact or dispersed tissue and/or intact organism(s).

Disclosed is a microcapsule composition containing a microcapsule and an aminopolysiloxane. The microcapsule has an oil core including an active material and a capsule wall encapsulating the oil core. The microcapsule wall is formed of an encapsulating polymer. Also disclosed are a method of preparing the microcapsule composition and a consumer product containing the microcapsule composition.

The invention relates to an encapsulating device (100), which is designed to encapsulate a sample (1, 2) in a polymer capsule, comprising a drop generator (10), which is designed to provide a drop (3) of a suspension, which drop contains the sample (1), and a cross-linking device (20), which is designed to polymerize the drop (3), wherein the drop generator (10) has a retaining device (11), which is designed to accommodate the drop (3) in a hanging state, and the cross-linking device (20) is designed to feed a polymerization substance to the hanging drop (3) on the retaining device (11) and to form the polymer capsule. The invention further relates to a method for encapsulating a sample (1, 2) in a polymer capsule.

CXCL12 polypeptide eluting matrices encapsulating at least one cell are described for use in the treatment of autoimmune disorders.

A fundamental barrier to successful device-based therapies is the Inability to deliver a sustained amount of therapeutics that do not have a systemic toxic impact on the subject. Thus, there is a need for identifying new compositions and methods to enhance the delivery, distribution, and/or efficacy of therapeutic agents. The present disclosure relates to implantable constructs (encapsulated cells) designed to deliver antigenic therapeutic reagents, such as IL-2, and optionally one additional therapeutic.