Description du projet
Des matériaux souples à base de prototissus synthétiques
Les protocellules, des entités artificielles semblables à des cellules, constituent un outil vital en biologie synthétique. Ces systèmes non vivants présentent des caractéristiques similaires aux cellules biologiques. Dans les prototissus, les réseaux de protocellules peuvent communiquer et agir en synergie, mais souffrent néanmoins d’un manque de robustesse et ne possèdent pas la complexité requise pour effectuer des fonctions d’ordre supérieur. Financé par le programme Actions Marie Skłodowska-Curie, le projet SAPTiMeC exploitera des photocommutateurs de spiropyrane pour fabriquer des prototissus alimentés par la lumière et capables de se gonfler et de se dégonfler. Ce mouvement mécanique sera ensuite utilisé pour moduler la réactivité photocatalytique endogène des prototissus, produisant ainsi des ondes caractéristiques d’un signal chimique de sortie. Les résultats du projet pourraient ouvrir une nouvelle ère dans les approches ascendantes de biologie synthétique et les systèmes hors équilibre, proposant de nouveaux matériaux potentiellement exploitables en ingénierie tissulaire et en robotique molle.
Objectif
Recently, researchers in the field of bottom-up synthetic biology have developed different models of non-living cell-like entities, termed protocells. Protocells are designed to mimic basic aspects of living cells and have potential applications in various emerging technologies. Prototissues comprise networks of protocell consortia that communicate and display synergistic functions. Though the current designs contribute much to the development of bottom-up synthetic biology, they lack robustness and the complexity required to perform higher-order functions. The aim of this proposal is to advance the prototissue design to create prototissues capable of higher-order functions (i.e. photo-mechano-chemical transduction). The prototissues will be created by stratifying and patterning populations of specialised protocells. As a result, the prototissue will be able to self-regulate the amount of luminous energy received from the environment by opening and closing cyclically. This movement enables the prototissue to tune its endogenous photocatalytic reactivity, producing waves of an output chemical signal. The expertise of the applicant in photochemistry, materials and nanomaterials chemistry will be applied to the emerging field of prototissue engineering, area in which the hosting supervisor is an emerging leader. The approach will be focussed on the generation of macroscopic free-standing prototissue sheets with complex architectures. This process will be used to create phototropic prototissues upon exploiting photoresponsive hydrogels encapsulated in their building blocks. The resulting phototropic prototissues will be modified in order to contain building blocks with photocatalytic synthetic proto-organelles. Collectively, the outcome of this proposal will: kickstart a new area of bottom-up synthetic biology; provide a new approach to the construction of out-of-equilibrium systems; and deliver new materials with applications in tissue engineering and soft robotics.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesbiological sciencessynthetic biology
- natural scienceschemical sciencesphysical chemistryphotochemistry
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologytissue engineering
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticssoft robotics
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
34127 Trieste
Italie