Unveiling the Potential of Single‐Cell Encapsulation in Biomedical Applications: Current Advances and Future Perspectives
Manuel Pires‐Santos, Sara Nadine, João F. Mano
Abstract
The encapsulation of single cells has emerged as a promising field in recent years, owing to its potential applications in cell-based therapeutics, bioprinting, in vitro cell culture, high-throughput screening, and diagnostics. Single-cell units offer several advantages, including compatibility with standard imaging techniques, superior diffusion rates, and lower material-to-cell volume ratios. They also serve as effective carriers for targeted drug delivery, allowing precise administration of therapeutics in cell-mediated quantities. Moreover, single-cell units exhibit improved circulation potential throughout the vasculature, with a reduced likelihood of entrapment compared to multicell strategies. However, the production of single-cell units from random dispersion of cells follows the Poisson distribution, requiring the separation of empty and multicell units from single-cell ones. Various methods have been developed to address this challenge; nevertheless, the majority of these strategies are either expensive or time-consuming. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the advantages and limitations of single-cell units and their applications, as well as a comprehensive overview of the most used techniques for single-cell encapsulation and sorting strategies.