What are the benefits of microencapsulation and bioprinting?
Dr. Mobed-Miremadi: Microencapsulation is used to protect biological drugs that are orally-administered or implanted in the body. Without encapsulation, these drugs would either be destroyed enzymatically or by the immune system. For instance, hepatocytes (liver cells responsible for detoxification of blood) can be implanted after being encapsulated in a semipermeable membrane that allows toxins in and clean blood out. Implanting these cells without a capsule would trigger an immune response. Bioprinting can be used for cell microencapsulation, reagent preparation, or in the field of genomics for precise deposition on microarrays. In order for our printer to be entirely operational, the Bioengineering Lab still requires a moveable stage that will allow the printer to precisely synchronize with the substrate being printed on. We hope to get that set up next year. Click here to read the rest of the interview with Dr. Mobed-Miremadi and the Fall 2009 Newsletter.
