[Preservation of the functional integrity of cellular material after cell microencapsulation by polymerization]

A new process for microencapsulating living cells is described. A cross linked network was polymerized using acrylamide and bisacrylamide monomers round agarose-embedded cells in an hydrophobic medium. The reaction was initiated by excitation of Vit. B2 under visible irradiation. The absence of toxic effect was evaluated from the insulin secretion of encapsulated islets of Langerhans.