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Updated: May 11, 2026
Tissue Engineering: Construction of a Multicellular 3D Scaffold for the Delivery of Layered Cell Sheets
Published on: October 3, 2014
Engineering Protocell Networks for Prototissue Development
Zhetong Liu1, Lei Liu1, Rong Huang1
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Key Lab of Biomedical Materials of Natural Macromolecules (Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Ministry of Education), Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, China.
Abstract:
The assembly of protocells into prototissues represents a significant step forward in mimicking the hierarchical structure and complex functions of biological tissues. This review explores the construction of various protocell models, including lipid vesicles, polymer vesicles, proteinosomes, membraneless coacervates, and emulsion droplets. It examines the range of chemical and physical methods employed to spatially organize these protocells into structured, functional prototissues. Furthermore, the review highlights the distinctive properties of prototissues, such as their ability to facilitate intra- and inter-protocell communication, exhibit collective behaviors like oscillations and deformation, and their promising applications in biomedicine. By bridging the gap between synthetic cells and functional tissue-like systems, this review provides insights into the design, fabrication, and potential applications of prototissues in synthetic biology and regenerative medicine.
