Microfluidic Production of Spatially Structured Biomimetic Microgels as Compartmentalized Artificial Cells

Artificial cells serve as promising micro-robotic platforms that replicate cellular features. One ubiquitous characteristic of living cells is compartmentalization of content in distinct and well-defined locations. Herein, a microfluidic strategy to mimic compartmentalization is developed through the production of micron-scale two and three compartment biomimetic microgels, where hydrogel compartment number, composition, size, and shape can be controlled. Our lab-on-chip system enables the incorporation of various synthetic organelles into spatially separated compartments within the microgels. This design concept allows for the introduction of a variety of individually triggered bioinspired behaviors, including protein capture, enzyme-mediated content release, and stimuli-triggered motility, each isolated in a distinct compartment enabling the use of the microgels as compartmentalized artificial cells. With this approach, the division of content and function seen in biological cells can be mirrored, which will underpin the generation of increasingly sophisticated and functional soft matter microdevices using bottom-up synthetic biology principles.