A Novel Rat Model of Embolic Cerebral Ischemia Using a Cell-Implantable Radiopaque Hydrogel Microfiber.

The failure of neuroprotective treatment-related clinical trials, including stem cell therapies, may be partially due to a lack of suitable animal models. We have developed a stem cell-implantable radiopaque hydrogel microfiber that can survive for a long time in vivo. The microfiber is made of barium alginate hydrogel containing zirconium dioxide, fabricated in a dual coaxial laminar flow microfluidic device.