You have accessMoreSectionsView PDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail Cite this article Liu Kuo-Kang and Chan Vincent 2011Nanoengineering life: from cell to tissueInterface Focus.1699–701http://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2011.0068SectionYou have accessIntroductionNanoengineering life: from cell to tissue Kuo-Kang Liu Kuo-Kang Liu School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK [email protected] Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Vincent Chan Vincent Chan School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Kuo-Kang Liu Kuo-Kang Liu School of Engineering, University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL, UK [email protected] Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author and Vincent Chan Vincent Chan School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Republic of Singapore Google Scholar Find this author on PubMed Search for more papers by this author Published:03 August 2011https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2011.0068Nanoengineering, which brings several traditional disciplines including physics, engineering, biology and medicine together, is an emerging tool for manipulating major constituents of living organisms such as cells and tissues. Generally, the scopes of nanoengineering techniques include nanomanipulation, nanomeasurement, nanofluidics, nanomechanics and nanofabrication. In this theme issue, several frontiers in nanoengineering such as nanomechanics, nanofluidics, nanofabrication, nanostructured biomaterials pertaining to their potential applications in stem cell technology, cell signalling, and tissue engineering and regenerative medicine have been introduced. The new developments in multi-scale, biomechanical approach for bridging the gap between nanoscale (cytoskeleton), microscale (single cell), mesoscale (extracellular matrix) and macroscale (tissue) phenomena have been addressed. Although engineering at sub-cellular, single cell and tissue levels have been studied to some extent, systematic approaches to integrate all these multi-scale processes are of paramount need for generating broader scientific and social impacts. Nanoengineering, which offers ultra-sensitive, high-throughput, non-invasive and in situ approaches for the design, synthesis, fabrication and characterization of advanced molecular systems, holds a great promise for revolutionizing the development of novel cell and tissue therapies. A new multi-disciplinary, multi-scale and multi-level approach based on the recent advancements of nanoengineering has had a great impact in exploring such highly intricate living systems [1]. The research topic presented in this issue of Interface Focus has had a significant impact on twenty-first century society; for example, nanoengineering of cell and tissue substitutes for organ transplant and tissue replacement for meeting the therapeutic needs of the increasingly ageing population. However, research in this multi-disciplinary topic is scattered in journals of various areas from physical sciences and engineering to biology and medicine. This makes it difficult for scientists working in this field to collect useful information for their research. As a result, the aim of this special issue is to bring these research works together to provide readers with an overview of the recent developments in various branches of nanoengineering, with a particular reference to biomedicines.The recent advances in biophysics and material chemistry have led to the synthesis of novel nanostructures and architectures through the base-pairing of nucleic acid molecules. Despite the rapid creation of interesting nucleic acid-based nanomaterials ranging from buckyballs to molecular beacons, there is a lack of exploitation of these novel nanomaterials for applications in sciences, engineering and medicine. In this special issue, the paper by Li et al. [2] has taken a significant step ahead by offering their insights into the field of nucleic acid-based nanomaterials. First, a comprehensive overview of the various kinds of molecular interactions behind the self-assembly of nucleic acids from one- to three dimensions is provided. Building on the principle of nucleic acid pairing, the group further systematically highlights that the novel DNA-based nanomaterials offer a unique platform for creating advanced hybrid materials such as nanoparticles, nanotubes and transition metals with molecular precision. Most importantly, this article is instrumental in bridging the gap between DNA nanoengineering and biomedical application by offering unique perspectives in exploiting the use of novel DNA-based nanomaterials in drug delivery, biomolecular detection, etc.It is generally known that cells respond to topographical cues presented on engineered scaffolds via changes in cell morphology and functions. Polymeric nanofibres have recently emerged as promising biomaterial scaffolds for tissue regeneration under a highly controlled topographical cue. However, only a number of researchers around the world can manipulate the surface chemistry of the polymeric nanofibres to a level sophisticated enough to generate the integrated biochemical/topographic cues in tailored cell/tissue regeneration. Here, Mao and co-workers [3] describe the intelligent use of surface chemistry at the molecular level to modify the interfacial properties of a polymeric nanofibre. Most importantly, the group shows that variation of the surface functionality leads to significant enhancement of the expansion of haematopoietic progenitors, an important clinically relevant cell type which is a very challenging system for conventional cell culture.Mechanical strength of engineered cell and tissue substitutes will depend on molecular bonding, which ubiquitously exists in various components such as cells, fibres, nanocomposites or self-assembled hierarchical materials. Better understanding of the effect of varied bond strength on the resulting mechanical properties of bond clusters is of great importance in the design of these components. Chou & Buehler have developed a new molecular mechanics-based analysis of the effect of bond strength and geometry on the mechanical properties of a small bond cluster, which has provided a generic insight into this important topic. A good correlation with structural data of natural protein structure has confirmed the conclusions derived from the new model.The ability to manipulate and analyse living single cells for better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular functions is critical for the advancement of engineering living systems. Although single-cell detection technique is highly desirable [5], it has only been realized recently thanks to the advancement of nanofabrication and micro-/nano-fluidic systems. In this special issue, Wu et al. [6] report a novel nano capillary electrophoresis electrochemical chip (Nano-CEEC) integrating with micro-/nano-fluidic components to collect and concentrate scarce neurotransmitters released from single cells in vivo. Such a device provides a novel technological platform for future single cell–cell interaction measurement as well as single cellular functional monitoring.Biological functions of most cells are highly regulated by cytoskeleton remodelling. Among the main cytoskeletal components, actin stress fibres play a critical role in the generation of contraction in cells. To date, the process of stress fibre dynamics remains to be thoroughly elucidated. In this issue, Matsui et al. [7] reveals the mechanism underlying the rapid and selective disassembly of stress fibres along the direction of cell contraction. This research group discovers that MgATP-bound non-muscle myosin II dissociates from the sarcomeric units of individual actin filaments. Such dissociation triggers the unbundling-induced disassembly of stress fibres rather than the conventional end-to-end actin depolymerization. They also provide some important insights into the nanobiomechanical and biochemical events behind the regulation of stress fibre dynamics for the generation of cell contraction, which will be of importance for creating functional cell and tissue substitutes. At the tissue level, the nanomechanical forces also have great potential to alter biochemical constitutions which ultimately affect tissue remodelling. Also, Robitaille et al. [8] have demonstrated the preferential enzymatic degradation of a subset of unloaded collagen fibrils within differentially loaded native cornea tissue by using small-angle light scattering (SALS) technique. To produce tissue replacements which require arrays of collagen fibrils that are highly organized at the nanoscale level, modulating strain and collagenase concentration incorporated with SALS to control and sculpt collagen architecture in a feedback fashion could potentially benefit tissue remodelling. The technical advancement presented in the work could enable large-scale production of engineered tissue replacements with an optimized collagen organization.It is well known that most cells undergo complex mechanical interactions with the environment and neighbouring cells through the formation of focal adhesions and other adhesive junctions. These mechanical interactions provide physical mechanisms for various basic cellular activities such as adhesion, migration, communication, proliferation and differentiation. Among various mechanical interactions, surface traction has been shown as a prominent factor in cellular functions. Conventionally, the computation of cellular traction force from a biophysical technique known as traction force microscopy is an inverse problem based upon Boussinesq solution which can be ill-posed and requires regularization (constraint with Lagrange multiplier). In this issue, Ng et al. [9] proposed a new hyperelastic model of the gel mechanics in the finite element method to be tested side by side with the linear elastic model, which was generally assumed in the study of traction force microscopy. Their results highlighted that the unique combination of microscopic mechanical characterization, Mooney-Rivlin model, and three-dimensional finite element method in traction force computation may help in improving the accuracy and simplicity of traction force microscopy assays.Finally, a number of attempts have recently been directed to translate stem cells into the clinical treatment of degenerated tissues. However, the success of translation significantly relies on its lineage commitment in the treated region. Nanoengineering has therefore been applied for creating biomimetic three-dimensional microenvironments to control the commitment and consequently to govern stem cell fate. For example, micro-/nano-scale technologies have been applied for fine tuning and screening stem cell niche factors, while nanomanipulation has been used for probing cell–cell interactions in three-dimensional tissue architecture. Zhang et al. [10] have reviewed the state of the art of the nanoengineering methods for stem cell therapy and discussed perspectives in creating three-dimensional biomimetic microenvironments with the emerging techniques. The paper also highlights that quantitative prediction through both multi-level (from molecules to tissue) and multi-scale (from nano- to millimetre) computational modelling will play a critical role in elucidating the mechanisms for governing stem cell behaviour in the three-dimensional microenvironment.FootnotesOne contribution of 9 to a Theme Issue ‘Nanoengineering life: from cell to tissue’.This journal is © 2011 The Royal SocietyReferences1Kirkpatrick C. J.& Bonfield W.. 2010NanoBioInterface: a multidisciplinary challenge. J. R. Soc. Interface 7, S1–S4.doi:10.1098/rsif.2009.0489.focus (doi:10.1098/rsif.2009.0489.focus). Link, ISI, Google Scholar2Li H., LaBean T. H.& Leong K. W.. 2011Nucleic acid-based nanoengineering: novel structures for biomedical applications. Interface Focus 1, 702–724.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0040 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0040). Link, ISI, Google Scholar3Jiang X., Christopherson G. T.& Mao H.-Q.. 2011The effect of nanofibre surface amine density and conjugate structure on the adhesion and proliferation of human haematopoietic progenitor cells. Interface Focus 1, 725–733.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0033 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0033). Link, ISI, Google Scholar4Chou C.-C.& Buehler M. J.. 2011Bond energy effects on strength, cooperativity and robustness of molecular structures. Interface Focus 1, 734–743.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0038 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0038). Link, ISI, Google Scholar5Templer R. H.& Ces O.. 2008New frontiers in single-cell analysis. J. R. Soc. Interface 5, S111–S112.doi:10.1098/rsif.2008.0279.focus (doi:10.1098/rsif.2008.0279.focus). Link, ISI, Google Scholar6Wu R.-G., Yang C.-S., Cheing C.-C.& Tseng F.-G.. 2011Nanocapillary electrophoretic electrochemical chip: towards analysis of biochemicals released by single cells. Interface Focus 1, 744–753.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0049 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0049). Link, ISI, Google Scholar7Matsui T. S., Kaunas R., Kanzaki M., Sato M.& Deguchi S.. 2011Non-muscle myosin II induces disassembly of actin stress fibres independently of myosin light chain dephosphorylation. Interface Focus 1, 754–766.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0031 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0031). Link, ISI, Google Scholar8Robitaille M. C., Zareian R., DiMarzio C. A., Wan K.-T.& Ruberti J. W.. 2011Small-angle light scattering to detect strain-directed collagen degradation in native tissue. Interface Focus 1, 767–776.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0039 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0039). Link, ISI, Google Scholar9Ng S. S., Li C.& Chan V.. 2011Experimental and numerical determination of cellular traction force on polymeric hydrogels. Interface Focus 1, 777–791.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0036 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0036). Link, ISI, Google Scholar10Zhang H., Dai S., Bi J.& Liu K.-K.. 2011Biomimetic three-dimensional microenvironment for controlling stem cell fate. Interface Focus 1, 792–803.doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0035 (doi:10.1098/rsfs.2011.0035). Link, ISI, Google Scholar Next Article VIEW FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD PDF FiguresRelatedReferencesDetailsCited byLiu K and Oyen M (2014) Nanobiomechanics of living materials, Interface Focus, 4:2, Online publication date: 6-Apr-2014. This Issue06 October 2011Volume 1Issue 5Theme Issue 'Nanoengineering life: from cell to tissue' organized by Kuo-Kang Liu and Vincent Chan Article InformationDOI:https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2011.0068Published by:Royal SocietyOnline ISSN:2042-8901History: Manuscript received12/07/2011Manuscript accepted12/07/2011Published online03/08/2011Published in print06/10/2011 License:This journal is © 2011 The Royal Society Citations and impact Keywordstissue engineering and regenerative medicinesingle-cell analysiscell adhesionnanomaterialscytoskeleton remodellingstem cell Subjectsnanotechnology