BUSCADOR RECOLECTA

RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia

oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/187455

Alginate hydrogels can be used to develop a three-dimensional environment in which various cell types can be grown. Cross-linking the alginate chains using reversible ionic bonds opens up great possibilities for the encapsulation and subsequent release of cells or drugs. However, al-ginate also has a drawback in that its structure is not very stable in a culture medium with cellu-lar activity. This work explored the stability of alginate microspheres functionalised by grafting specific biomolecules onto their surface to form microgels in which biomimetic microspheres surrounded the cells in the culture, reproducing the natural microenvironment. A study was made of the stability of the microgel in different typical culture media and the formation of polyelectrolyte multilayers containing polylysine and heparin. Multiple myeloma cell prolifer-ation in the culture was tested in a bioreactor under gentle agitation., The Microscopy Service of the UPV (Universitat Politècnica de València) is gratefully acknowl-edged for helping with cryoFESEM characterisation. CIBER-BBN is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008–2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program. The Instituto de Salud Carlos III financed CIBER Actions with assistance from the European Regional Develop-ment Fund.