Microgels: Centering Single Cells in Microgels via Delayed Crosslinking Supports Long-Term 3D Culture by Preventing Cell Escape (Small 22/2017)

In article number 1603711, Marcel Karperien, Jeroen Leijten, and co-workers present the first microfluidic approach that enables long-term 3D single cell culture by centering cells in microgels in a facile, modular, and widely applicable manner. A typical cell microencapsulation event using the delayed crosslinking approach enables a cell to be positioned at the outer edge of a droplet, and by delaying on-chip crosslinking, the cell is allowed to move towards the center of the droplet. Subsequent crosslinking finally results in an individual cell being encapsulated in the microgel's center.