Abstract
Recent technological advances in cellular and molecular engineering have provided new insights into biology and enabled the design, manufacturing, and manipulation of complex living systems. Here, we summarize the state of advances at the molecular, cellular, and multi-cellular levels using experimental and computational tools. The areas of focus include intrinsically disordered proteins, synthetic proteins, spatiotemporally dynamic extracellular matrices, organ-on-a-chip approaches, and computational modeling, which all have tremendous potential for advancing fundamental and translational science. Perspectives on the current limitations and future directions are also described, with the goal of stimulating interest to overcome these hurdles using multi-disciplinary approaches.
Highlights
Tissue and organ functions are largely dictated by complex molecular and cellular interactions
At the single-cell and multi-cellular levels, inter-cellular communication and the integration of chemical, physical, and biological cues derived from the extracellular matrix (ECM) in a temporally and spatially resolved manner become increasingly important
Cell–cell interactions are clearly important as stated above, but we argue that the biggest opportunity in the decade for this field will be the development of increasingly dynamic engineered systems to improve our control over organoid systems
Summary
Tissue and organ functions are largely dictated by complex molecular and cellular interactions. As cellular and molecular bioengineering becomes increasingly more advanced, it is hoped that the insights gained and technologies developed can have a transformative impact in the fields of regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and development. This perspective is a product of the discussions at the 2019 Cell and Molecular Bioengineering Conference in Coronado, CA, USA, which highlights the breakthroughs and challenges in engineering biological complexity across length scales from macromolecules to cells and tissues
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