title: A tissue-like printed material.
abstract: Living cells communicate and cooperate to produce the emergent properties of tissues. Synthetic mimics of cells, such as liposomes, are typically incapable of cooperation and therefore cannot readily display sophisticated collective behavior. We printed tens of thousands of picoliter aqueous droplets that become joined by single lipid bilayers to form a cohesive material with cooperating compartments. Three-dimensional structures can be built with heterologous droplets in software-defined arrangements. The droplet networks can be functionalized with membrane proteins; for example, to allow rapid electrical communication along a specific path. The networks can also be programmed by osmolarity gradients to fold into otherwise unattainable designed structures. Printed droplet networks might be interfaced with tissues, used as tissue engineering substrates, or developed as mimics of living tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Villar
authors.forename: Alexander D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Hagan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bayley
mesh_terms: D002477:Cells / Q000737:chemistry*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004566:Electrodes; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D008051:Lipid Bilayers / Q000737:chemistry*; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D008956:Models, Chemical; D018716:Molecular Mimicry; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D016062:Porosity; D011327:Printing; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry; D018030:Silver Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D012984:Software; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C036507:Hlya protein, E coli; D008051:Lipid Bilayers; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D018030:Silver Compounds; D014867:Water; D012834:Silver; C037548:silver chloride
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