Soft, Degradable, and Magnetic Microcarriers for Encapsulation and Guided Transport of Drugs and 3D Spheroids
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
Soft microcarriers hold great potential for biomedical applications, yet their translation is limited by the lack of controlled degradation, restricted capacity for co-encapsulation of therapeutic and cellular cargos, long-term biocompatibility, and scalable production challenges. Here, we introduce a new concept of discrete, degradable hydrogel microcarriers, produced via droplet-based microfluidics and UV photopolymerization, designed to integrate these properties. These soft microcarriers enable co-encapsulation of multiple species, including magnetic particles, drugs, and living cell spheroids, while allowing precise motion control over complex trajectories using external gradient magnetic fields. Their tunable degradation under physiological conditions ensures transient stability, controlled navigation, and safe clearance. This approach provides spatiotemporal control over cargo transport and release, enabling the microcarriers to function as systems with a controllable lifecycle. These multifunctional microcarriers represent a versatile platform for tissue engineering, minimally invasive therapies, and diagnostic monitoring, enhanced by the precise in situ navigation option.
Details
| Original language | English |
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| Journal | Advanced materials |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 17 Jun 2026 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
| ORCID | /0000-0003-1010-2791/work/219268321 |
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Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- cell spheroids, co-encapsulation, controlled degradation, degradable hydrogel microcarriers, droplet microfluidics, magnetic navigation