Engineering reaction–diffusion networks with properties of neural tissue

Litschel, Thomas; Norton, Michael M.; Tserunyan, Vardges; Fraden, Seth

doi:10.1039/c7lc01187c

Cited by 41 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Despite recent successes in the design and engineering of 3D shape-programmable soft materials, such materials are not presently suitable for so-called soft robotics due to a lack of autonomous and spatiotemporally controlled mechanical function. Living organisms 70 rely on the integration of two types of soft tissue functionality: neural control for signal processing and musculature for actuation motion. Advances in designing microfluidic chemical oscillator networks with the capability of regulating spatiotemporal signals 71,72 are critical to developing actuating/responsive soft materials.…”

Section: Successesmentioning

confidence: 99%

New frontiers for the materials genome initiative

et al. 2019

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The Materials Genome Initiative (MGI) advanced a new paradigm for materials discovery and design, namely that the pace of new materials deployment could be accelerated through complementary efforts in theory, computation, and experiment. Along with numerous successes, new challenges are inviting researchers to refocus the efforts and approaches that were originally inspired by the MGI. In May 2017, the National Science Foundation sponsored the workshop "Advancing and Accelerating Materials Innovation Through the Synergistic Interaction among Computation, Experiment, and Theory: Opening New Frontiers" to review accomplishments that emerged from investments in science and infrastructure under the MGI, identify scientific opportunities in this new environment, examine how to effectively utilize new materials innovation infrastructure, and discuss challenges in achieving accelerated materials research through the seamless integration of experiment, computation, and theory. This article summarizes key findings from the workshop and provides perspectives that aim to guide the direction of future materials research and its translation into societal impacts.

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Section: Successesmentioning

confidence: 99%

New frontiers for the materials genome initiative

et al. 2019

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“…In the early 2000s, the first-ever excitable chemical controller mounted on-board a wheeled robot was constructed and tested under experimental laboratory conditions [20,45,87], and also a robotic hand was interfaced and controlled using BZ medium [128] (figure 11h). Litschel et al [155] showed that by linking micro-reactors with BZ and establishing excitation and inhibitory connections between the neighbouring reactors, it is possible to generate travelling patterns of oscillatory activity resembling the neural locomotive patterns.…”

Section: Reaction-diffusion Computersmentioning

confidence: 99%

A brief history of liquid computers

Adamatzky

2019

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…Processes such as morphogenesis are regulated in part by signalling cues associated with chemical gradients, and mimicking rudimentary aspects of this process in synthetic protocells could provide a step towards the spontaneous physical and chemical differentiation of protocell consortia into multimodal populations of different types of artificial cells. In this regard, recent studies have used chemical gradients and reaction-diffusion systems for the structuring of matter and materials 39,40 , operation of chemical networks 41,42 , programming of artificial cells 43,44 and control of signalling and differentiation in emulsion-based multi-compartmentalized gene circuits 45 . Here, we use chemical gradients comprising unidirectional or counter-directional flows of artificial morphogens to induce spatial and functional differentiation in immobilized protocell arrays consisting of several thousands of initially identical membrane-free coacervate micro-droplets.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Artificial morphogen-mediated differentiation in synthetic protocells

Tian

Patil

et al. 2019

Nat Commun

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The design and assembly of artificial protocell consortia displaying dynamical behaviours and systems-based properties are emerging challenges in bottom-up synthetic biology. Cellular processes such as morphogenesis and differentiation rely in part on reaction-diffusion gradients, and the ability to mimic rudimentary aspects of these non-equilibrium processes in communities of artificial cells could provide a step to life-like systems capable of complex spatiotemporal transformations. Here we expose acoustically formed arrays of initially identical coacervate micro-droplets to uni-directional or counter-directional reaction-diffusion gradients of artificial morphogens to induce morphological differentiation and spatial patterning in single populations of model protocells. Dynamic reconfiguration of the droplets in the morphogen gradients produces a diversity of membrane-bounded vesicles that are spontaneously segregated into multimodal populations with differentiated enzyme activities. Our results highlight the opportunities for constructing protocell arrays with graded structure and functionality and provide a step towards the development of artificial cell platforms capable of multiple operations.

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Engineering reaction–diffusion networks with properties of neural tissue

Cited by 41 publications

References 45 publications

New frontiers for the materials genome initiative

New frontiers for the materials genome initiative

A brief history of liquid computers

Artificial morphogen-mediated differentiation in synthetic protocells

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