Artificial Cell - Historical Development

Historical Development

Artificial cells were first developed by Thomas Chang at McGill University in the 1960s. These first artificial cells consisted of ultrathin membranes of nylon, collodion or crosslinked protein whose semipermeable properties allowed diffusion of small molecules in and out of the cell. These early artificial cells were micron sized and contained cell, enzymes, hemoglobin, magnetic materials, adsorbents and proteins. Presently, artificial cells range from hundreds of micrometer to nanometer dimensions and can also carry microorganisms, vaccines, genes, drugs, hormones, and peptides. The first clinical use of artificial cells was in hemoperfusion by the encapsulation of activated charcoal. In the 1970s, researchers were able to introduce enzymes, proteins and hormones to biodegradable microcapsules, later leading to clinical use in diseases such as Lesch-Nyhan syndrome. Although Thomas Chang began his initial research focused on artificial red blood cells, it was not until the mid 1990s that biodegradable artificial red blood cells were developed. Most recently, artificial cells have been used extensively in biological cell encapsulation. They were first used in the clinic in 1994 for treatment in a diabetic patient and since then other types of cells such as hepatocytes, adult stem cells and genetically engineered cells have been encapsulated and are being studied for uses in tissue regeneration amongst others. On December 29, 2011, chemists at Harvard University reported the creation of an artificial cell membrane.