A patent was issued to Professor Martin Yarmush and colleagues entitled, "Lineage Differentiation of Encapsulated Embryonic Stem Cells” (US Patent number: 10668102). The microencapsulation of embryonic stem cells results in decreased cell aggregation and enhanced neural lineage differentiation through incorporating the soluble inducer retinoic acid into the permeable microcapsule system. This differentiation process can be augmented by differentiation pathway regulators such as PPAR agonists.