Alginate hydrogel microstrands for stromal cell encapsulation, maintenance and implantation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024350712-A1
Application number	US-202418633107-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 11, 2024
Priority date	Jan 20, 2020
Publication date	Oct 24, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A device and process for fabricating alginate hydrogel microstrands, and product produced thereby, that are advantageously used for stromal cell encapsulation and maintenance. The device has first reservoir including a cell-alginate solution therein that selectively intakes and expels the cell-alginate solution therefrom, and a second reservoir in fluid connection with the first reservoir, the second reservoir containing a cross-linker solution and selectively intakes the cell-alginate solution from the first reservoir and expels the combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution therefrom. The second reservoir selectively expels the combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution as cell-laden hydrogel microstrands. The reservoirs of the device can be interconnected syringes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device for fabricating alginate hydrogel microstrands, comprising:
a first reservoir including a cell-alginate solution therein, the first reservoir configured to selectively intake and expel the cell-alginate solution therefrom; a second reservoir in fluid connection with the first reservoir, the second reservoir containing a cross-linker solution and configured to selectively intake the cell-alginate solution from the first reservoir and expel a combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution therefrom; and wherein the second reservoir configured to selectively expel the combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution as cell-laden hydrogel microstrands.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the second reservoir selectively detaches at a nozzle from the first reservoir, the nozzle configured to expel the cell-laden hydrogel microstrands adjacent to one or more mammalian cells.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution are combined at a predetermined duration to form cell-laden alginate hydrogel microstrands with long, thin fiber-like structures.

4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined duration is in a range of 5 seconds to 50 seconds.

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein first reservoir and second reservoir are each a syringe having a chamber with manually operated plungers therein, and each syringe including a nozzle thereof, and wherein a first nozzle of the first syringe and a second nozzle of the second syringe are selectively attached to thereby create a fluid coupling between a first chamber and a second chamber.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the cell-alginate solution includes one of: NIH 3T3 cells, epithelial cells, endothelial cells, neural cells, or stem cells.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the cross-linker solution includes one of Ca 2+ , CaCl 2 , Ba 2+ , Sr 2+ .

8 . The device of claim 1 , further including a filter having micropatterned pores connecting the first reservoir and second reservoir.

9 . A process for fabricating alginate hydrogel microstrands, comprising:
placing a cell-alginate solution in a first reservoir, the first reservoir configured to selectively intake and expel the cell-alginate solution therefrom; placing a cross-linker solution in a second reservoir in fluid connection with the first reservoir, the second reservoir configured to selectively intake the cell-alginate solution from the first reservoir and expel the combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution therefrom; intaking the cell-alginate solution from the first reservoir into the second reservoir; allowing the cell-alginate solution and the cross-linker solution to mix for a predetermined duration; and after the predetermined duration, expelling a combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution as cell-laden hydrogel microstrands from the second reservoir.

10 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the second reservoir selectively detaches at a nozzle from the first reservoir, and further comprising:
detaching the nozzle from the first reservoir; and expelling the cell-laden hydrogel microstrands adjacent to one or more mammalian cells.

11 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined duration is in a range of 5 seconds to 50 seconds.

12 . The process of claim 9 , wherein first chamber and second chamber are each a syringe having manually operated plungers therein, and each syringe including a nozzle thereof, and further comprising selectively attaching the first nozzle of the first syringe and second nozzle of the second syringe to thereby create a fluid coupling between the first chamber and second chamber.

13 . The process of claim 9 , wherein the cell-alginate solution includes NIH 3T3 cells.

14 . The process of claim 9 , further including expelling the combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution through a filter having micropatterned pores therein.

15 . The process of claim 10 , further comprising incubating the microstrands predetermined duration prior to expelling the cell-laden hydrogel microstrands adjacent to one or more mammalian cells.

16 . The process of claim 10 , wherein the cell-laden hydrogel microstrands are expelled into at least one cell culture well plate.

17 . The process of claim 12 , wherein the intaking cell-alginate solution and and expelling of combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution are achieved by action on the manually operated plungers.

18 . The process of claim 14 , wherein the filtering is performed through a separate filter from the first reservoir and second reservoir.

19 . The process of claim 14 , wherein a filter is located at the nozzle of the second reservoir, and the filtering is performed by expelling the combined cell-alginate solution and cross-linker solution from the second reservoir.

20 . A solution containing cell-laden hydrogel microstrands with long and thin fiber-like structures, produced by the process of claim 9 .

Assignees

• Univ New York State Res Found

Inventors

• Xie Yubing
• Kollampally Sujith
• Jorgensen Matthew

Classifications

• A61M5/2448

  comprising means for injection of two or more media, e.g. by mixing · CPC title

• A61L27/52 Primary

  Hydrogels or hydrocolloids · CPC title