Finally, our results support a nonspecific Ca-alg-virus interaction regarding the efficiency of the Caalg viro-protective effect on a variety of viruses, whether enveloped or not. Cermelli et al. speculated on a structure-activity relationship of negatively-charged glycosaminoglycan involving general/non specific host cell-virus interactions. Structure and sequence-based statistical analyses have demonstrated that positively-charged basic amino acids on viral proteins participate in binding to glycosaminoglycan receptors. Ca-alg hydrogel may inhibit different viruses by interfering with the viral adsorption process via receptor entry blocking. The recent progress made in bioengineered products provides a hopeful strategy for liver supply, offering a promising alternative to whole liver transplantation which suffers from an allogenic organ shortage crisis. The allo- or xenotransplantation of hepatocytes encapsulated in alginate beads is an attractive approach to support host liver recovery and whose feasibility has been demonstrated in various animal models. Mei et al. documented the beneficial influence of implantation of porcine encapsulated cells on survival rate and metabolic performances compared to free hepatocyte transplantation in a mouse model of liver failure, which was confirmed by the co-encapsulation of stem cells and hepatocytes. Nevertheless, the use of allogenic or xenogenic cell microencapsulation for regenerative medicine is associated with certain risks in terms of virus-mediated infectious diseases provided from either the grafts or the recipients, which may ultimately have an impact on human health recovery. Given the numerous applications for microencapsulation in Ca-alg beads using a natural biomaterial approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the promising in vitro protective effect against viruses reported here is an innovative and attractive property of alginate gel with two new interesting advantages: first, viral infection by a retrovirus, an endogenous virus or a potentially unknown virus from the encapsulated cells cannot be transmitted to the patient, and, conversely, encapsulated cell functions cannot be hampered by a viral infection in the host. Numerous applications in the field of regenerative medicine may be concerned, such as cartilage repair, bone regeneration or diabetes treatment by means of a bioartificial pancreas. More generally speaking, the protective property of alginate gel against viruses may have applications extending far beyond biomedicine. Acylation of peptides with fatty acids is a naturally occurring post-translational modification, which has inspired alteration of therapeutic peptides for drug delivery. Acylation prolongs the systemic circulation half-life of otherwise rapidly cleared peptide drugs, through increased enzymatic stability and binding to – and piggy-backing on – serum albumin. An additional effect of acylation is increased peptide self-association and aggregation, which has been employed to ensure prolonged release of peptide drugs following subcutaneous injection. Acylation can be Bortezomib performed without disrupting the peptide’s biological potency, and has been employed for a multitude of therapeutic peptides, including several marketed drugs. The increased enzymatic stability of acylated peptides is particularly beneficial for oral administration, due to the highly metabolic environment in the stomach and intestine. Another requirement for oral drug delivery is adequate absorption through the intestinal epithelial barrier, which is a major challenge for large, hydrophillic peptide drugs.