Cell Encapsulation
We take your cells and encapsulate them in tiny microcapsules to:
- Provide them with a microenvironment to grow in
- Protect them from immune rejection on reimplantation
- Fix them at the site of implantation
- Allow secreted biomolecules to escape the capsule
- Allow them to be removed if necessary
- Provide a means to store and transport them
Cell Line Development
We offer a complete service from drawing board, through “in vitro” and pre-clinical, right up to clinical trial material:
- Construction of expression plasmids (if necessary)
- Generation of cell line (if necessary)
- Characterization of cell line (if necessary)
- R&D scale encapsulation and optimisation
- Production of encapsulated cells for pre-clinical experiments
- GMP production of clinical trial lots
Frequently Asked Questions
What it does
The Cell-in-a-Box® technology, developed by Austrianova, is a means to protect, isolate, store and transport living cells.
Why its unique
The Cell-in-a-Box® technology is based on a natural cotton derived polymer and is extremely well tolerated by the body allowing long term implantation and biological molecule secretion.
Why it works
The Cell-in-a-Box® technology builds a porous capsule round the cells, allowing free diffusion of nutrients in, and waste products out, and also allowing any biological molecules synthesized by the cells to escape.
What it can be used for
In healthcare, it facilitates the safe implantation of cells, holding them isolated from the immune system and allowing long term production of therapeutic molecules in patients.
In biotechnology, the Cell-in-a-Box® technology protects cells in bioreactors and fermenters, while at the same time simplifying purification of bioproducts produced from the cells and reducing production cost.
In logistics, it allows cells to be frozen, stored for long periods and easily shipped round the world
The technology also forms the basis of a powerful research tool.
What its made of
The company’s proprietary cell packaging material, Gel8, used for the Cell-in-a-Box® technology, is derived from a naturally occurring material and is thus harmless to the environment, biologically inert and has been shown to be safe in humans.
Applications
Stem Cells
A new and exciting application is the encapsulation of allogenic stem cells. Here Cell-in-a-Box® helps localize the transplanted stem cells once implanted into the patient. Instead of being able to wander off, encapsulated cells are now fixed at the desired location because of the relatively large size of the capsules
Metabolic Diseases
The classic application for encapsulated cells is the treatment of diabetes, and Cell-in-a-Box® is already being used by various groups world-wide to develop treatments for this debilitating and life-threatening disease. However, other acquired diseases such as hypercholesterolemia are also good targets for the Cell-in-a-Box®
Cancer
Antibody Production
One of the most important and fastest expanding areas of molecular medicine is the use of therapeutic antibodies for targeted treatment of various diseases like cancer, autoimmune disorders, inflammatory and infectious diseases. These approaches make use of the body’s own immune system to eliminate cancerous cells from the body or interrupt disease mechanisms by blocking signal molecules and their receptors.
Cytokine Production
The ability to produce cytokines at physiological concentrations in patients could be of benefit in at least two major areas: (i) boosting or improving immune responses as a result of vaccinations etc (important for combatting infectious agents as well as of potential use in combination with therapeutic vaccines for the treatment of tumours) or (ii) to directly combat tumour
Enzymes
Many diseases are due to a lack of enzymes. These deficiencies can be offset by administration of enzymes resulting in reductions in symptoms but not a cure. In some cases, enzymes can be used to treat diseases that are caused by other mechanisms. These enzymes have to be given repeatedly leading to peaks and troughs in their levels in the body.
Exosomes
Exosomes (EVs) are known to mediate many of the therapeutic effects of stem cells. Currently, EVs have to be purified from cell culture conditioned media using tedious, costly and time-consuming protocols that are difficult to perform under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) conditions. The Cell-in-a-Box encapsulation technology allows efficient enrichment of EVs at high concentration since they are released from the encapsulated cells via the semipermeable pores, which selectively enable the release of small particles but not of the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Moreover, Cell-in-a-Box provides 3D culture conditions for the MSCs
Bioreactors
Although some cell types such as CHO cells are well adapted to use in bioreactors, many other cells, including stem cells, are too fragile to be grown to high density in bioreactors. These cells need a microenvironment in which they can grow and which protects them from the sheer forces associated with stirred or perfused bioreactors.
Storage and Transport
