Monodisperse Cell-Encapsulating Peptide Microgel Beads for 3D Cell Culture

This paper describes a method to produce monodisperse cell-encapsulating microgel beads composed of a self-assembling peptide gel for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture. We used a 3D microfluidic axisymmetric now-focusing device with ail external gelation method. The finely powdered salts were dispersed into a continuous phase, and the Salts induced the gelation when in contact with the peptide solution. Over 93% of the cells survived after the encapsulation, and (he cells migrated and grew Within the gels. Applications of Our cell-encapsulating beads include bead-based cell assays in drug testing and engineering tissue constructs.