Preparation of hydrogel hollow particles for cell encapsulation by a method of polyester core degradation

Implantation of encapsulated cells in particles of less than 1 mm (micro-encapsulation) has been proposed as a cell synthesized bio-molecule delivery system. Encapsulation provides immuno-isolation, protecting foreign cells from host immune system while nutrients, oxygen and therapeutic products can diffuse freely across capsule walls. A new method is described for the synthesis of a new family of hollow microparticles for cell encapsulation. Unlike other micro-encapsulation methods, encapsulation in those devices will take place after capsule synthesis, by micro-injection. The microcapsules were prepared by a three-steps original procedure: first, synthesis of a core particle, followed by coating with a layer of epichlorohydrin cross-linked amylo-pectin gel and, finally, selective degradation of the core particle to create the cavity. Initial experiments make use of amylo-pectin cross-linked with trimetaphosphate as core particle material. However, selective degradation was difficult to achieve. In further essays, polyesters were used successfully for the preparation of core particles. Optimizations were carried out and the permeability and morphology of the hollow particles were investigated. The preliminary results show that the new method has the potential to become a standard procedure to obtain hydrogel hollow particles. Moreover, the permeability study seems to be in accordance with specifications for immuno-isolation.