Alginate-based microencapsulation of cells has made a significant impact on the fields of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering mainly because of its ability to provide immunoisolation for the encapsulated material. This characteristic has allowed for the successful transplantation of non-autologous cells in several clinical trials for life threatening conditions, such as diabetes, myocardial infarction, and neurodegenerative disorders. Methods for alginate hydrogel microencapsulation have been well developed for various types of cells and can generate microcapsules of different diameters, degradation time, and composition. It appears the most prominent and successful method in clinical applications is the coaxial electrospray method, which can be used to generate both homogenous and non-homogeneous microcapsules with uniform size on the order of 100 μm. The present review aims to discuss why alginate hydrogel is an ideal biomaterial for the encapsulation of cells, how alginate-based microcapsules are generated, and methods of modifying the microcapsules for specific clinical treatments. This review will also discuss clinical applications that have utilized alginate-based microencapsulation in the treatment of diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and neurodegenerative diseases.
Keywords: Alginate; cell delivery; clinical application; coaxial electrospray; diabetes; heart infarction; microencapsulation; neurodegenerative disorders; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering.