News

  1. Home
  2. About
6 September 2024

Bioactive capsules: a wide range of applications

Bioactive capsules: a wide range of applications

A research group from the Department of Chemistry at Universidade de Aveiro (UAveiro) has developed three-dimensional cell encapsulation systems coated with an intrinsically bioactive membrane derived from proteins that make up the basement membrane of native tissues. UAveiro has submitted a national patent application to protect this technology.

The group that developed the new technology, led by João Mano, professor and vice-director of CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, also includes UAveiro doctoral student Catarina Passos and researcher Sónia Patrício. The research group highlights the potential of this technology: "These microcapsules are coated with nanolayers of proteins present in the basal membranes that support or surround many of the body's tissues, giving them physiologically relevant biochemical and biophysical properties for encapsulating cells, drugs and other bioactive compounds and subsequent application in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine as injectable pro-angiogenic biomaterials, drug screening devices as well as disease modeling platforms."

So far, the functionalities of compartmentalized membranes are mostly limited to the materials used, which are mostly bioinert materials, making it difficult to perform cellular functions. These capsules are made up of proteins that make up native basal membranes, so they represent an appropriate microenvironment for regulating cell functions ex-vivo and in-vitro, while preserving the advantages of conventional microcapsules, namely mechanical resistance, cell compartmentalization functions and permeability to essential molecules.

The development of this technology was supported by the MIMETic project PTDC/BTM-MAT/31210/2017.

This technology has been the subject of a national patent application, and extended protection of this technology is still possible in different territories.

Share this Article:

Related Articles

Researchers

Groups

G5 - Biomimetic, Biological and Living Materials

We use cookies for marketing activities and to offer you a better experience. By clicking “Accept Cookies” you agree with our cookie policy. Read about how we use cookies by clicking "Privacy and Cookie Policy".


Privacy and Cookie Policy

Personal data

CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials respects your privacy, ensuring confidentiality of personal data you share with the institution through this way, not collecting any personal information about you without your consent, under the terms required by General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD).

The data collected in forms are intended exclusively for processing user requests and will not be used for any other purpose, always safeguarding their confidentiality, under the terms of the protection conferred by the aforementioned regulation.

The collection and processing of data is the responsibility of CICECO and its storage is properly protected, only authorized CICECO employees can access the information within the scope of their functions, always being clear in the respective collection forms the purposes for which they are intended. The remaining issues to be considered in this matter will be handled by the University of Aveiro in accordance with the regime established by the GDPR.

Cookies policy

Cookies are small files with alphanumeric information that are stored on your computer's hard drive by your browser and are intended to improve the user experience and enhance website navigation.

Collection and use of technical information

The cookies used on CICECO are anonymous, and no information about our users that allows their personal identification is stored in them.

The technical information recorded consists of:

  • iP (Internet Protocol) address of the visitor;
  • the type of internet browser used by the website visitor and the respective operating system used;
  • the date and time of the consultation;
  • the pages visited on the site and the documents downloaded
  • The technical information collected is used for statistical purposes only.

Cookies used

Session cookies

These cookies are used to record user preferences, such as the language in which websites are displayed or to maintain authenticated user sessions, and are automatically deleted when the browser is closed.

Persistent cookies

These cookies store information that is needed between sessions. For example, a persistent cookie is set to record that you have been made aware of the cookie policy so that the message regarding this policy is not shown again the next time you visit the website. This cookie remains on the computer until it reaches its expiry date or is deleted by the user.

Data protection

The present privacy policy covers the Information System of the University of Aveiro (SIUA), governed by the General Data Protection Regulations (RGPD) Regulation (EU) No. 2016/679, of April 27th, 2016.

Data Protection Officer

The University of Aveiro has a Data Protection Officer (DPO), who ensures compliance of the processing of personal data with the legislation in force, and is available through the following email address epd@ua.pt.

Close