Tag: protocellular material

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Programmed Fabrication of Vesicle-Based Prototissue Fibers with Modular Functionalities

Our research team has achieved a breakthrough in creating artificial tissue-like structures, termed "prototissue fibers," inspired by natural cell cooperation. Published in Advanced Science, this work, involving collaboration with Prof. Taisuke Banno's group, utilized vesicles and salt bridges to form these fibers, enabling the integration of specialized modules. These innovations allow for customizable soft materials, enhancing fields like 3D bioprinting, tissue engineering, and soft robotics. This significant advancement addresses key challenges in prototissue engineering, paving the way for bioinspired material development.

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Matching Together Living Cells and Prototissues: Will There Be

This review in ChemBioChem examines the interactions between synthetic cells, tissues, and living counterparts, aiming for full integration. It discusses advancements in synthetic/living cells interactions, prototissue engineering, and stimuli-driven tissue engineering, paving the way for future studies in tissue engineering, synthetic biology, and regenerative medicine. The work was funded by the European Union and Fondazione Istituto di Ricerca Pediatrica Città della Speranza.

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Higher-order Behaviours in Bio-inspired Materials

This mini-review, published in ChemSystemsChem, introduces the concept of higher-order behavior in materials chemistry, discussing the development of such behaviors in bio-inspired systems like polymer networks, microbots, protocells, and prototissues. It emphasizes the ability to chemically program these materials and their potential applications in various fields, from tissue engineering to regenerative medicine. The work was funded by the European Union (ERC StG, PROTOMAT, 101039578; Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship, PROTO-BACT, 101107715).

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Colloidosomes as a Protocell Model: Engineering Life-Like Behaviour through Organic Chemistry

Colloidosomes are robust, versatile microcapsules that have emerged as promising candidates for protocell models. Read our just published review that highlights the role of organic chemistry in the engineering of colloidosomes with life-like behaviours, such as selective membrane permeability, adhesion, chemical signalling, dynamic multi-compartmentalisation, replication, and predation.

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ERC Starting Grant worth over 2M Euros awarded to the University of Trieste for Pierangelo Gobbo’s project PROTOMAT

The University of Trieste has been awarded its first ERC Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) as part of the Horizon Europe framework. Pierangelo Gobbo, having worked in various institutions around the world, has chosen the University of Trieste (UniTS) to develop the first fully synthetic cells capable of integrating with living cells and tissues.