Cell-based therapies have emerged as promising approaches for regenerative medicine. Hydrophobic poly(ester urethane)s offer the advantages of robust mechanical properties, cell attachment without the use of peptides, and controlled degradation by oxidative and hydrolytic mechanisms. However, the application of injectable hydrophobic polymers to cell delivery is limited by the challenges of pro...

We have designed and built a magnetic tweezers device that enables the application of calibrated stresses to soft materials while simultaneously measuring their microscale deformation using confocal microscopy. Unlike previous magnetic tweezers designs, our device is entirely portable, allowing easy use on microscopes in core imaging facilities or in collaborators' laboratories. The imaging cap...

We report on modeling and experimental studies of the synthesis of opaque microparticles made via stop-flow lithography. Opaque magnetic beads and UV-absorbing dyes incorporated into hydrogel microparticles during synthesis changed the height and the degree of cross-linking of the polymer matrices formed. The effect of the concentration of these opaque materials on the particle height was deter...

The retention of drug delivery systems in the stomach for longer time is required to improve the bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of the drugs used for the diseases associated with the stomach. In the present work, gastro-retentive floating beads of sodium alginate (SA) were prepared through ionotropic gelation with divalent Ca ions and covalent cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (GA). M...

Encapsulation techniques are fmding increasing interest in a variety of areas of biotechnology. Enzymes, living ceils, hormones, drugs, adsorbents and other bioactive materials can be encapsulated and used in bioreactors, artificial organs, controlled drug-release systems, bioseparation systems and etc (Chang, 1972; Kondo, 1979; Lira, 1984; Nigam, 1988; Nixon, 1976). Ideally, encapsulation of b...

In vitro fabricated biological tissue would be a valuable tool to screen newly synthesized drugs or understand the tissue development process. Several studies have attempted to fabricate biological tissue in vitro. However, controlling the growth and morphology of the fabricated tissue remains a challenge. Therefore, new techniques are required to modulate tissue growth. RGD (arginine-glycine-a...

The repair of peripheral nerve injuries is still one of the most challenging tasks and concerns in neurosurgery. Effect of methylprednisolone-laden hydrogel loaded into a chitosan conduit on the functional recovery of peripheral nerve using a rat sciatic nerve regeneration model was assessed. A 10-mm sciatic nerve defect was bridged using a chitosan conduit (CHIT/CGP-Hydrogel) filled with CGP-h...

Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (HWJMSCs) hold promise for myocardial regeneration, but optimal treatment regimen (preferably with a growth factor) is required to maximize functional benefits. The aim of this study was to explore the cardioprotective and angiogenesis effects of HWJMSCs combined with insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction. Th...

The influences of the pH, tripolyphosphate (TPP) concentration, and ionic strength of the gelling medium on the entrapment efficiency, release, and activity of lipase in chitosan hydrogel beads were studied. A solution of Candida rugosa lipase was prepared in a 1.5% w/v chitosan and 1% (v/v) acetic acid medium, and dropped into a TPP solution. Release of lipase in pH 7.2 Tris buffer was monitor...

DC Bead is a drug delivery embolisation system that can be loaded with doxorubicin or irinotecan for the treatment of a variety of liver cancers. In this study we demonstrate that the topoisomerase I inhibitor topotecan hydrochloride can be successfully loaded into the DC Bead sulfonate-modified polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel matrix, resulting in a sustained-release drug eluting bead (DEBTOP) usefu...