Abstract
Gel beads containing cells for immunoisolation should be small, monodisperse and spherical enough to ensure the reproducivility of diffusion of nutrients and hormone and to improve biocompatibility. In this paper, we present a new method to generate cell encapsulated micro gel beads for cell transplants. Using water-in-oil (W/O) emulsification and droplet coalescence in a microchannel, presented method generated smaller (less than 300μm in diameter) and more monodisperse gel beads compared to conventional methods. We report the relationships between flow rate and some essential dimensions for cell transplants such as gel beads diameter and circularity.
