Release, Transfer, Fold: Using a Silicone Adhesive for On-Demand 3D Tissue Engineering

Conventional cell culture substrates are flat and rigid, locking cells in a permanent and unphysiological geometry. Advanced tissue culture models that emulate the dynamic and 3D environments of organs remain challenging to generate. Here, we establish flexible silicone adhesive films as versatile substrates that enable the on-demand release, transfer, and folding of cultured 2D tissues into 3D geometries. We rolled primary epithelial cultures into tubes, assembled cuboidal structures, and transferred primary endothelial cultures between culture environments for coculturing. Our approach provides an easy-to-implement platform for dynamic geometrical designs in tissue engineering.