Electrodeposition of cell-laden alginate-PLL hydrogel structures for spatially selective entrapment

In this study, cell-laden alginate-poly-L-lysine (PLL) hydrogel structures with arbitrary shapes were constructed based on electrodeposition method. Electrolysis of water in alginate solutions with calcium carbonate particles induced alginate gelation on micro-patterned anode electrode, and cell-laden alginate gel structures were formed. The several different shapes of gel were generated at one time by predefined micro-patterns. The micro-patterned electrode was fabricated by coating photoresist on Fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass slide. Alginate-PLL encapsulation technique was introduced to this platform forming alginate-PLL hydrogel structures. This proposed method can lead to more accurate and creative studies of fabricating cell-laden scaffold for tissue engineering.