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Microfluidic Fabrication of Core-Shell Microcapsules carrying Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Spheroids
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Thermoresponsive Complex Coacervates as Advanced Carriers for Cell-Laden Liquid-Core Capsules for Biomedical
Luís P G Monteiro1, Mariana Carreira1, Julien Es Sayed2
1CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|April 16, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel injectable smart material using thermoresponsive complex coacervates for cell delivery. This biomaterial enables efficient tissue regeneration by controlling cell organization and supporting high cell viability.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Injectable smart materials are crucial for minimally invasive cell delivery and tissue regeneration.
- Thermoresponsive polymers offer tunable properties for biomedical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer a novel thermoresponsive complex coacervate for advanced cell delivery and tissue organization.
- To investigate the material's rheological properties and cell encapsulation capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of a complex coacervate from natural polysaccharides grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm).
- Rheological analysis to assess shear-thinning behavior and thermoresponsive sol-gel transition.
- Encapsulation of human adipose stem cells within liquid-core capsules (LC) and incorporation into the coacervate.
Main Results:
- The engineered coacervate demonstrated significant shear-thinning and a rapid sol-gel transition at physiological temperature (37°C).
- PNIPAAm chains controlled network dynamics, enhancing structuring at 37°C.
- The system efficiently retained cell-loaded capsules, maintaining high cell viability (>7 days) even at high capsule loadings (up to 54%).
Conclusions:
- This novel thermoresponsive complex coacervate serves as a cytocompatible and modular platform for cell encapsulation and delivery.
- The material enables hierarchical control over cellular organization, decoupling tissue-forming units from the transport matrix.
- This strategy presents a new paradigm for bioinspired materials in regenerative medicine.
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