Kang Dong-Hyun, Han Won Bae, Il Ryu Hyun, Kim Nam Hyuk, Kim Tae Young, Choi Nakwon, Kang Ji Yoon, Yu Yeon Gyu, Kim Tae Song
Creative Research Center for Brain Science, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
Micro Nano Fab Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, 02792, Republic of Korea.
Nat Commun. 2022 Mar 10;13(1):1261. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28960-y.
Owing to their excellent durability, tunable physical properties, and biofunctionality, block copolymer-based membranes provide a platform for various biotechnological applications. However, conventional approaches for fabricating block copolymer membranes produce only planar or suspended polymersome structures, which limits their utilization. This study is the first to demonstrate that an electric-field-assisted self-assembly technique can allow controllable and scalable fabrication of 3-dimensional block copolymer artificial cell membranes (3DBCPMs) immobilized on predefined locations. Topographically and chemically structured microwell array templates facilitate uniform patterning of block copolymers and serve as reactors for the effective growth of 3DBCPMs. Modulating the concentration of the block copolymer and the amplitude/frequency of the electric field generates 3DBCPMs with diverse shapes, controlled sizes, and high stability (100% survival over 50 days). In vitro protein-membrane assays and mimicking of human intestinal organs highlight the potential of 3DBCPMs for a variety of biological applications such as artificial cells, cell-mimetic biosensors, and bioreactors.
由于其出色的耐久性、可调节的物理性质和生物功能性，基于嵌段共聚物的膜为各种生物技术应用提供了一个平台。然而，制造嵌段共聚物膜的传统方法仅产生平面或悬浮的聚合物囊泡结构，这限制了它们的应用。本研究首次证明，电场辅助自组装技术可以实现固定在预定义位置的三维嵌段共聚物人工细胞膜（3DBCPMs）的可控且可扩展的制造。具有拓扑和化学结构的微孔阵列模板有助于嵌段共聚物的均匀图案化，并作为3DBCPMs有效生长的反应器。调节嵌段共聚物的浓度和电场的幅度/频率可生成具有不同形状、可控尺寸和高稳定性（50天内100%存活）的3DBCPMs。体外蛋白质-膜分析和对人体肠道器官的模拟突出了3DBCPMs在各种生物应用中的潜力，如人工细胞、细胞模拟生物传感器和生物反应器。
