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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
11:28
3D Microtissues for Injectable Regenerative Therapy and High-throughput Drug Screening
Published on: October 4, 2017
Injectable microsphere-based delivery strategies for stem cells and their derivatives in tissue regeneration
Rongji Liang1, Jiayou Chen1, Jingtao Huang1
1Department of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation, Peking University Shenzhen Hospital, PKU-Shenzhen Clinical Institute of Shantou University Medical College, Shenzhen, 518036, China.
Bioactive Materials
|July 19, 2026
Summary
Microsphere delivery systems enhance regenerative medicine by improving stem cell and exosome retention for tissue repair. This review details microsphere strategies for diverse tissues, accelerating clinical translation.
Area of Science:
- Regenerative Medicine
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Tissue and organ degeneration pose significant health challenges, with current treatments having limitations.
- Regenerative medicine, utilizing stem cells and exosomes, offers therapeutic potential but faces delivery hurdles like poor retention and control.
- Injectable microspheres present a promising solution for overcoming these delivery challenges in regenerative therapies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review advancements in microsphere-based delivery systems for stem cells and their derivatives.
- To evaluate design principles, fabrication techniques, and biological functions of microspheres in regenerative medicine.
- To highlight emerging frontiers and accelerate the clinical translation of microsphere-enabled regenerative therapies.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of literature on microsphere-mediated delivery of stem cells and derivatives.
- Critical evaluation of natural and synthetic polymer design principles for microspheres.
- Analysis of fabrication techniques including microfluidics and electrospray.
- Assessment of microsphere functions: 3D scaffolding, immune protection, and sustained release.
Main Results:
- Microspheres offer improved retention, spatiotemporal control, and sustained release of regenerative agents.
- Various tissue types (bone, cartilage, neural, skin, dental pulp, cardiac, lung) benefit from microsphere delivery strategies.
- Natural and synthetic polymers, alongside techniques like microfluidics, enable tailored microsphere design.
- Microspheres provide essential 3D scaffolds and immune protection, enhancing therapeutic efficacy.
Conclusions:
- Microsphere-based delivery systems are crucial for overcoming limitations in stem cell and exosome therapy.
- These systems show broad applicability across multiple tissue types for enhanced regeneration.
- Emerging applications include delivering novel regenerative cues and developing microsphere-based organoid models.
- Further development and integration of microsphere technologies are key to advancing regenerative medicine clinically.
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