Tissue Encapsulation with Silica Shell
Purdue University researchers have developed a method of encapsulating biofilms in a thin, flexible, biocompatible silica membrane. Encapsulated membrane-bound cells are viable, retain their morphology, are metabolically active, and are physically trapped following biosilification. The resultant thin silica membrane is evenly distributed over the biofilm surface, reducing molecular diffusion limitations, and reinforcing the matrix. The technique is scalable and capable of encapsulating complex biofilm geometries by employing endogenous extracellular material as a site for silica deposition. As such, it can potentially be applied to a wide range of cell lines and mixed cellular systems to generate bioreactors for sustained water regeneration and industrial applications.
Rapid deployment of bioreactors which contain mature communities of microbesSustainable approach to water recycling option Cell lines retain viability and physiology for over 90 days
Clean Water
Jenna RickusRickus LaboratoryPurdue Agricultural and Biological Engineering
United States
None
USA
