@article {17658,
	title = {Peptide-based microcapsules obtained by self-assembly and microfluidics as controlled environments for cell culture},
	journal = {Soft Matter},
	volume = {9},
	year = {2013},
	month = {2013-10-14 00:00:00},
	pages = {9237-9248},
	publisher = {RSC Publishing},
	abstract = {<p style="text-align: justify;">Peptides are excellent building blocks to form precise nanostructures by self-assembly. They can selfassemble into fibril nanostructures, thus recreating some of the architectural features of the natural\&nbsp;extracellular matrix. Here, we used a microfluidic approach to drive the self-assembly of peptides of\&nbsp;opposite charge into capsular structures for cell encapsulation. The obtained capsules presented a core\&nbsp;shell structure made of a network of nanofibers and their properties can be tuned by varying the\&nbsp;concentration of each peptide. Capsules were found to be stable in aqueous solutions and their\&nbsp;permeability dependent on the capsule composition. Human dermal fibroblasts were encapsulated and\&nbsp;remained viable within the capsules and their morphology was shown to be influenced by the matrix\&nbsp;density. Additionally, these capsules also supported the co-culture of fibroblasts and keratinocytes. We\&nbsp;expect that the developed peptide-based microcapsules can serve as miniaturized environments for cell\&nbsp;culture and as biomimetic platforms for in vitro drug screening.</p>},
	keywords = {cell culture, directed self-assembly, electrostatic self-assembly, Microfluidics, peptide-amphiphiles, soft capsules},
	doi = {10.1039/c3sm51189h},
	url = {http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2013/sm/c3sm51189h$\#$!divAbstract},
	author = {Ferreira, D. S. and Reis, R. L. and Azevedo, H. S.}
}
