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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Initial 3D Cell Cluster Control in a Hybrid Gel Cube Device for Repeatable Pattern Formations

Initial 3D Cell Cluster Control in a Hybrid Gel Cube Device for Repeatable Pattern Formations

Published on: March 21, 2019

Actuation of Cell Layers in Three Dimensions.

Kirsten Endresen¹, Aniruddh Murali², Birte C Geerds³

¹Dept. Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

|May 13, 2026

Summary

Tissue cell sheets contract anisotropically upon detachment, mimicking nematic liquid crystal elastomers. This behavior allows for programming 3D tissue structures through 2D patterning, offering new avenues in tissue engineering.

Keywords:

3D structure liquid crystal elastomers nematic order in cells tissue patterning

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Last Updated: May 14, 2026

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Manipulating Living Cells to Construct Stable 3D Cellular Assembly Without Artificial Scaffold

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Published on: October 26, 2018

Area of Science:

Biophysics
Materials Science
Tissue Engineering

Background:

The mechanical properties and functionality of living tissues are influenced by the alignment of their constituent fibers and cells.
Tissues can be analogized to nematic liquid crystal elastomers due to their ordered structures.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore the analogy between cell sheets and nematic liquid crystal elastomers.
To investigate the anisotropic contraction of fibroblast cell sheets upon detachment from patterned substrates.
To demonstrate the potential for programming 3D tissue structures using 2D patterning principles.

Main Methods:

Growing fibroblasts on 2D-patterned substrates with stripe patterns to induce alignment.
Observing and quantifying cell sheet contraction upon detachment.
Applying design principles from nematic elastomers to actuate 3D structures.
Utilizing simulations to support experimental findings.

Main Results:

Detached fibroblast sheets exhibit anisotropic contraction, with maximum contraction along the nematic director.
Cell sheets behave similarly to nematic elastomers with a negative 2D Poisson ratio.
Contraction is robust to drugs that affect cytoskeletal remodeling.
Successfully actuated 3D structures in detached cell layers using elastomer design principles.

Conclusions:

Cell sheets display nematic elastomer-like behavior, characterized by anisotropic contraction.
2D patterning can control the 3D shape of cell layers, offering a method for tissue programming.
This study presents a proof of concept for programmable tissue actuation, opening avenues for tissue engineering applications.