Method for microencapuslation of cells or tissue
First Claim
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1. A double-walled bead produced as a result of a method of encapsulating viable tissue or cells within a double-walled bead comprising:
- (a) treating the tissue or cells, prior to encapsulation, with ultraviolet-B irradiation so as to immunosuppress them;
(b) suspending the tissue or cells in an aqueous medium which is physiologically compatible with the tissue or cells and which contains a water soluble substance which(i) is physiologically compatible with the tissue or cells; and
(ii) can be gelled to form a bead;
(c) forming the suspension into droplets of a size sufficient to encapsulate the tissue or cells;
(d) treating the droplets so as to form discrete, shape-retaining temporary capsules;
(e) forming a permanent semipermeable membrane around the temporary capsules so as to obtain a single-walled bead encapsulating the tissue or cells; and
(f) contacting the resulting single-walled bead with the water soluble substance under conditions such that a second membrane is formed so as to thereby obtain a double-walled bead encapsulating the tissue or cells.
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Abstract
The subject invention provides a method of encapsulating viable tissue or cells within a double walled bead, the double-walled bean produced as a result of the method, as well as a method of pretreating the tissue or cells with an immunosuppressant such as UV-B irradiation prior to their encapsulation.
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12 Claims
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1. A double-walled bead produced as a result of a method of encapsulating viable tissue or cells within a double-walled bead comprising:
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(a) treating the tissue or cells, prior to encapsulation, with ultraviolet-B irradiation so as to immunosuppress them; (b) suspending the tissue or cells in an aqueous medium which is physiologically compatible with the tissue or cells and which contains a water soluble substance which (i) is physiologically compatible with the tissue or cells; and (ii) can be gelled to form a bead; (c) forming the suspension into droplets of a size sufficient to encapsulate the tissue or cells; (d) treating the droplets so as to form discrete, shape-retaining temporary capsules; (e) forming a permanent semipermeable membrane around the temporary capsules so as to obtain a single-walled bead encapsulating the tissue or cells; and (f) contacting the resulting single-walled bead with the water soluble substance under conditions such that a second membrane is formed so as to thereby obtain a double-walled bead encapsulating the tissue or cells. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification