This paper presents a method to form micron-sized droplets in an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) and to subsequently polymerize the droplets to produce hydrogel beads. Owing to the low interfacial tension in ATPS, droplets do not easily form spontaneously. We enforce the formation of drops by perturbing an otherwise stable jet that forms at the junction where the two aqueous streams meet. This ...

Probiotic microorganisms are incorporated into a wide variety of foods, supplements, and pharmaceuticals to promote human health and wellness. However, maintaining bacterial cell viability during storage and gastrointestinal transit remains a challenge. Encapsulation of bifidobacteria within food-grade hydrogel particles potentially mitigates their sensitivity to environmental stresses. In this...

Cell sorting is an essential and efficient experimental tool for the isolation and characterization of target cells. A three-dimensional environment is crucial in determining cell behavior and cell fate in biological analysis. Herein, we have applied photodegradable hydrogels to optical cell separation from a 3D environment using a computer-controlled light irradiation system. The hydrogel is c...

This study presents stochastic particle barcoding (SPB), a method for tracking cell identity across bioanalytical platforms. In this approach, single cells or small collections of cells are co-encapsulated within an enzymatically-degradable hydrogel block along with a random collection of fluorescent beads, whose number, color, and position encode the identity of the cell, enabling samples to b...

Encoded combinatorial library technologies have dramatically expanded the chemical space for screening but are usually only analyzed by affinity selection binding. It would be highly advantageous to reformat outputs ”one-bead-one-compound” solid-phase libraries, unlocking activity-based and cellular capabilities. Here, we describe hydrogel-encapsulated magnetic beads that enable such a transfor...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the therapeutic potential of administration of gelatin hydrogel microspheres containing platelet-rich plasma (PRP), by examining its effects on progression of osteoarthritis (OA) in a rabbit model. METHODS PRP and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were prepared from rabbit blood. Adult rabbit chondrocytes were cultured in the alginate beads with the presence of 3% PRP or 3% ...