No abstract

Spherical gel beads of collagen/alginate were prepared by discharging droplets of a mixture containing collagen (1.07-1.9 mg/ml) and alginate (1.2-1.5% w/v) into 1.5% w/v CaCl 2 solution at 4°C. Collagen in the gel beads was reconstituted by raising the temperature to 37°C after alginate was liquefied by citrate. Scanning electron microscopy of the beads revealed the characteristic fibrous structure of collagen. To demonstrate the application of this new technique in cell culture, GH 3 rat pituitary tumor cells were entrapped and grown in the gel beads. The immobilized cells proliferated to a density of 1.95 ϫ 10 6 cell/ml which is about an order of magnitude higher than that grown in the alginate beads. *