Author(s)

Yan Zhou, Shin’ichiro Kajiyama, Hiroshi Masuhara, Yoichiro Hosokawa, Takahiro Kaji, Kiichi Fukui

Department of Applied Physics, Grad. School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Osaka, Japan.
Department of Biotechnology, Grad. School of Engineering, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Osaka, Japan;.

A method for producing size- and shape-con-trolled calcium alginate beads with immobilized proteins was developed. Unlike previous cal-cium alginate bead production methods, pro-tein-immobilized alginate beads with uniform shape and sizes less then 20 micrometers in diameter could successfully be produced by using sonic vibration. BSA and FITC-conjugated anti-BSA antibodies were used to confirm pro-tein immobilization in the alginate beads. Pro-tein diffusion from the beads could be reduced to less than 10% by cross-linking the proteins to the alginate with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylamino-propyl)carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysul-fosuccinimide (NHSS). The calcium alginate beads could also be arranged freely on a slide glass by using a femtosecond laser.

Calcium Alginate Beads; Size Controllable Production Method; Protein Immobilized Beads; Femtosecond Laser; Laser Manipulation

Zhou, Y. , Kajiyama, S. , Masuhara, H. , Hosokawa, Y. , Kaji, T. and Fukui, K. (2009) A new size and shape controlling method for producing calcium alginate beads with immobilized proteins. Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering, 2, 287-293. doi: 10.4236/jbise.2009.25043.