Functional Dynamics Inside Nano- or Microscale Bio-Hybrid Systems

Abstract

Soft nano- or microgels made by natural or synthetic polymers have been investigated intensively because of their board applications. Due to their porosity and biocompatibility, nano- or microgels can be integrated with various biologics to form a bio-hybrid system. They can support living cells as a scaffold; entrap bioactive molecules as a drug carrier or encapsulate microorganisms as a semi-permeable membrane. Especially, researchers have created various modes of functional dynamics into these bio-hybrid systems. From one side, the encapsulating materials can respond to the external stimulus and release the cargo. From the other side, cells can respond to physical, or chemical properties of the matrix and differentiate into a specific cell type. With recent advancements of synthetic biology, cells can be further programed to respond to certain signals, and express therapeutics or other functional proteins for various purposes. Thus, the integration of nano- or microgels and programed cells becomes a potential candidate in applications spanning from biotechnology to new medicines. This brief review will first talk about several nano- or microgels systems fabricated by natural or synthetic polymers, and further discuss their applications when integrated with various types of biologics. In particular, we will concentrate on the dynamics embedded in these bio-hybrid systems, to dissect their designs and sophisticated functions.

Combination of versatile platforms for the development of synthetic biology

“…Hydrogels are polymeric materials formed by cross-linked three-dimensional (3D) network. Owing to its unique structure, porosity and water content ability at high level, hydrogels are usually used as ideal matrices for cell encapsulation, controlled release of biomolecules, drug delivery, and formation of scaffold in tissue engineering [52][53][54][55][56]. Additionally, hydrogels have the ability to response to external stimulus by shrinking or swelling, such as temperature, pH, ionic strength, and light [55][56][57][58][59].…”

Electro Fluid Dynamics: A Route to Design Polymers and Composites for Biomedical and Bio-Sustainable Applications

“…Over the relevance of constituent materials and their physical/chemical properties, it is well known that peculiar structural features at different scales can affect a wide range of final product properties. For instance, several studies remarked that nano or microparticles could be more advantageous for injection applications than those with bigger sizes ranging from hundred microns up to millimeters [ 1 ]. Likewise, in the case of fibrous scaffolds used in vitro, it is known that nano-textured surfaces, i.e., fiber diameter at the nanoscale, are able to better influence the behavior of living cells in terms of biomechanical, biological (i.e., cell adhesion and proliferation) and fluid/molecular transport properties rather than micro-surfaces, thus mimicking the typical architecture of basement lamina membrane, present in all the natural tissues [ 2 ].…”