Chirality-dependent cell adhesion and enrichment in Janus nanocomposite hydrogels

To assess chirality-dependent cell adhesion and cell enrichment in an extracellular matrix (ECM)-like model, in this study we created 3D nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels composed of periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) functionalized with chiral molecules [NC "homo-hydrogels" (NC hydrogels with one kind of functionalized PMO)]. Additionally, we prepared Janus NC hydrogel by connecting two enantiomorphous NC hydrogels, producing an advanced material that can be used to investigate the effect of opposite enantiomers on the behaviors of healthy and cancer cells in a single biomaterial at the same time and under the same reaction conditions. We found that the surface chirality of the functionalized PMO particles strongly influenced cell affinity to the NC hydrogels, especially in serum-containing media. Additionally, chirality was also successfully used to enrich healthy cells within the Janus NC hydrogel from a mixture of healthy cells and cancer cells.