Bioinspired cell-in-shell systems in biomedical engineering and beyond: Comparative overview and prospects.

With the development in tissue engineering, cell transplantation, and genetic technologies, living cells have become an important therapeutic tool in clinical medical care. For various cell-based technologies including cell therapy and cell-based sensors in addition to fundamental studies on single-cell biology, the cytoprotection of individual living cells is a prerequisite to extend cell storage life or deliver cells from one place to another, resisting various external stresses. Nature has evolved a biological defense mechanism to preserve their species under unfavorable conditions by forming a hard and protective armor.

Improved cell viability for large-scale biofabrication with photo-crosslinkable hydrogel systems through a dual-photoinitiator approach.

Biofabrication with various hydrogel systems allows the production of tissue or organ constructs in vitro to address various challenges in healthcare and medicine. In particular, photocrosslinkable hydrogels have great advantages such as excellent spatial and temporal selectivity and low processing cost and energy requirements. However, inefficient polymerization kinetics of commercialized photoinitiators upon exposure to UV-A radiation or visible light increase processing time, often compromising cell viability.