The detection, isolation and sorting of cells holds an important role in cell therapy
and regenerative medicine. Also, injectable systems have been explored for tissue
regeneration in vivo, because it allows repairing complex shaped tissue defects
through minimally invasive surgical procedures. Here we report the development of
chitosan microparticles with a size of 115.8μm able to capture and expand a specific
cell type that can also be regarded as an injectable biomaterial. Monoclonal
antibodies against cell surface antigens specific to endothelial cells and stem cells
were immobilized on the surface of the microparticles. Experimental results showed
that particles bioconjugated with specific antibodies provide suitable surfaces to
capture a target cell type and subsequent expansion of the captured cells. Primarily
designed for an application in tissue engineering, three main challenges are
accomplished with the herein presented microparticles: separation, scale-up
expansion of specific cell type and successful use as an injectable system to form
small tissue constructs in situ.