Fig. 1. Self-assembled hydrogels for preclinical tumor models.

a Current method of forming syngeneic subcutaneous tumors by injecting cancerous cells in liquid saline. b Encapsulation process of B16F10 cells in self-assembled hydrogels and the benefits of cell delivery using hydrogels. c Components that form self-assembled hydrogels including cancer cells, alginate, calcium, and extracellular matrix-mimicking biopolymers. d Dual syringe mixing strategy to formulate self-assembled hydrogels and encapsulate cells. A polymer solution containing alginate and ECM additives is loaded in one syringe (right) and cells and calcium sulfate are loaded into the second syringe (left). Blue dye is included to aid visualization for this demonstration. The two solutions are mixed with a female–female dual-syringe mixer by pumping the material back and forth for 30 s to form a robust hydrogel pre-loaded into a syringe ready for administration. e Injection of self-assembled hydrogels into a hydrogel depot through syringe needles (25G). f Oscillatory Shear Temperature ramp (w = 10 rad/s, y = 1%).