Optically Clear Alginate Hydrogels for Spatially Controlled Cell Entrapment and Culture at Microfluidic Electrode Surfaces

We describe an innovation in the immobilization, culture, and imaging of cells in calcium alginate within microfluidic devices. This technique allows unprecedented optical access to the entirety of the calcium alginate hydrogel, enabling observation of growth and behavior in a chemical and mechanical environment favored by many kinds of cells.