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Determination of the Mechanical Strength of Microcapsules

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Cell Microencapsulation

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology ((MIMB,volume 1479))

Abstract

The promise of pancreatic islet transplantation is hindered by organ shortage, and the need for immunosuppression of transplant recipient in order to prevent rejection. Alginate microencapsulation can overcome these hurdles; however further optimization of this technique is required. Among the critical factors to be optimized is the durability of alginate microcapsules, which can be determined by their mechanical strength tests. Here we describe several simple and reliable methods to assist in assessing the mechanical strength of alginate beads.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Marcus D. Darabbie M.D.

  2. Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Emmanuel C. Opara

  3. Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering & Sciences (SBES), Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA

    Emmanuel C. Opara

Authors
  1. Marcus D. Darabbie M.D.
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  2. Emmanuel C. Opara
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcus D. Darabbie M.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA

    Emmanuel C. Opara

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Darabbie, M.D., Opara, E.C. (2017). Determination of the Mechanical Strength of Microcapsules. In: Opara, E. (eds) Cell Microencapsulation. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1479. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6364-5_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6364-5_8

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6362-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6364-5

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