Bioencapsulation for energy, environment and health care
Living cells can be considered as highly efficient molecular engines spatially enclosed, remaining however very fragile. By combining cells with porous materials in an appropriate way, novel living hybrid material technologies can be designed. The bioencapsulation allows protecting cells from harsh environment and controlling their surrounding as well as their
concentration. This combination produces ultimately a device that can be oriented to drive the desired biochemical reactions. These functional living matters are very promising in the development of new eco-friendly processes. These hybrid systems would be enabled to use greater and in more efficient way renewable resources (i.e. solar energy) to produce a vast array of chemicals. The encapsulated cell technology can open the possibility to design various other kinds of bioactive materials such as cleaning systems, biosensors and artificial organs. In our laboratory as pioneer in the field, our research focuses on the encapsulation of microorganisms, photosynthetic organelles, plant cells and animal cells.
