Composite Liquid Marble Templated Millimetric Capsule With Tunable Rigidity, Porosity, and Thermal Reconfigurability...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Tissue Engineering
• In Vitro Modeling

Background:

• Extensive reliance on animal models in biomedical research necessitates advanced in vitro systems.
• Scalable fabrication of large cellular spheroids (millimeter dimensions) for mimicking native tissue architecture is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel rigid porous capsule (RPC) for scalable fabrication of millimeter-scale spheroids.
• To develop a mechanically robust and highly permeable platform for advanced 3D cell culture and tissue modeling.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of RPCs using a binary mixture of poly(octadecyl acrylate) (PODAc) microparticles and bovine serum albumin (BSA) nanoparticles.
• Thermal processing of the mixture to create a rigid, macroporous capsule structure with tunable stiffness and porosity.
• Utilizing the RPC for scaffold-free 3D cell culture and spheroid formation.

Main Results:

• RPCs are mechanically robust, highly permeable, and maintain spherical geometry.
• Tunable shell stiffness and porosity balance mechanical stability with efficient nutrient transport.
• Viable, scaffold-free spheroids on a millimetric scale were formed within RPCs over 14 days.

Conclusions:

• The developed RPC platform enables scalable fabrication of physiologically relevant, millimeter-scale spheroids.
• This system supports advanced tissue modeling and drug screening applications.
• The RPC technology offers a promising alternative to animal models in biomedical research.