Cell-in-a-Box™ technology is the immobilisation of any type of living cell into small beads.
These beads or capsules are typically around 0.7mm in size and contain around 10,000 cells. However, they can also easily be made larger or smaller on demand and will can contain more or fewer cells, depending on the type and size of the cells.
Cell-in-a-Box™ products are formed using SG Austria’s proprietary Gel8 material which has unique properties and is not commercially available. The cells are mixed together with polymer A (Gel8) which is then physically morphed into beads. The beads are then allowed to fall into a polymerization bath with polymer B to form a stable, robust shell around the capsule.
The exterior capsule material is semi-permeable/porous, meaning that small molecules such as nutrients for the cells and waste products can easily and freely pass into and out of the capsules. This ensures that the cells inside live and grow happily whilst at the same time large objects cannot go in or out of the capsules.
The pore size of the membrane is typically around 80 kilodaltons (kDa) but this can be modulated to be smaller or larger (up to around 200 kDa) if requested for specific applications e.g. antibody production/release.
The capsules themselves are far more robust than living cells. Empty, they are resistant to the heat and pressure of autoclaving; cell-filled, they can be injected via syringe/needle and keep the cells viable.
Cells do not change their properties during encapsulation and in addition any biomolecule can pass in or out of the capsule. This means that the cells can produce and secrete molecules such as enzymes, cytokines, antibodies, etc. but also that the external environment of the capsules (e.g. the blood or tissue of a patient) can signal and stimulate the cells to react and allow as such a physiological interaction with their surroundings.
