Scientists pioneer creation of programmable artificial tissues from synthetic cells

Photograph of a floating mould containing a protocellular material in the shape of a triangle with 1.0 cm sides being lifted from a Petri dish. Dr Pierangelo Gobbo and Dr Agostino Galanti - Scientists have created new artificial tissues that mimic some of the complex characteristics and abilities of living tissues, paving the way towards unprecedented advances in medicine, soft-robotics, and micro-engineering. The University of Bristol-led breakthrough, published in Advanced Materials , reports the first way to produce centimetre-sized artificial tissues of any shape and with complex internal structures. A team, led by Dr Pierangelo Gobbo from the university's School of Chemistry, developed the new technique and used it to assemble millions of sticky synthetic cells, called "protocells", into artificial tissues capable of communicating with each other as well as with their external environment. Previously protocells have been worked with individually, but the scientists found that when the cells were combined in a group to form protocellular materials they interacted together and showed advanced capabilities. The innovative method, called the "floating mould technique", allowed the team to create free-standing protocellular materials of any size and shape. It also facilitated the assembly of patterned and layered protocellular materials through the careful arrangement of different types of protocells.