Cell microencapsulation is a fundamental technique in cell-based therapy allowing continuous delivery of biologic drugs. In the prestigious journal, Nature Biotechnology, we reported an alginate-encapsulated cells system, designed to deliver anti-angiogenic biologic drugs, which led to significant inhibition of glioblastoma tumors. A novel system was also designed to encapsulate transfected MSCs secreting PEX. The MSCs remained viable and undifferentiated while producing a substantial therapeutic outcome in glioblastoma models. Moreover, we developed a process to create microcapsules from solubilized decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM), from different origins, providing the cells with a more natural and supportive environment than conventional alginate microcapsules.
Selected publications:
- T. Joki*, M. Machluf*, A. Atala, N.T. Seyfried, R.S. Carroll, and P. Black. Continuous release of endostatin from microencapsulated engineered cells for tumor therapy. Nature Biotechnology, 19:35-39, 2001. * Equal contribution. PUBMED
- A. Goren, N. Dahan, E. Goren, L. Baruch, and M. Machluf. Encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells: A unique hypo-immunogenic platform for long-term cellular therapy. Federation Of American Societies For Experimental Biology Journal, 24:22-31. 2010. PUBMED
- A. Goren, and M. Machluf. Microencapsulation of cells secreting Fas ligand reduce lymphoma tumorigenicity. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 103:116-24, 2012. PUBMED