Abstract
Developing biocompatible and flexible cell manipulation tools is crucial for effective cell delivery in tissue engineering. Herein, thermo-responsive microparticle swimmers, composed of an alginate core and a rough gelatin surface, are developed as a tool for remote cell manipulation and the construction of patterned cell models. The microparticles are fabricated using a novel bio-friendly surface assembly strategy, which leverages morphology-induced gelatin adsorption combined with temperature-cycling crosslinking to deposit multiple gelatin layers onto microfluidic-derived rough microparticles. Gelatin molecules can adsorb onto the rough surface at 25 °C and become cross-linked at 4 °C to form a stable coating layer while preserving the coarse morphology for additional assembly cycles. The gelatin layers remain intact at room temperature for cell loading and transport, but rapidly dissipate at 37 °C, enabling cell release. Moreover, complex manipulations of living cell populations, such as remote tweezing, can be achieved by the introduction of magneto-responsive moieties. These versatile microparticles provide an efficient tool for the in vitro construction of flexible and dynamic patterned cell models, with promising applications in tissue engineering, drug screening, and organoid development.
Published Version
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