Access IBEC scientific production portal (IBEC CRIS), for more detailed information and advanced search features.
Find here the list of all IBEC's publications by year.
by Keyword: Hydrogel microparticles
Walther, Tobias, Dalaka, Eleni, Flaschner, Gotthold, Gomez-Gonzalez, Manuel, Platzman, Ilia, Pashapour, Sadaf, Emmert, Michelle, Roca-Cusachs, Pere, Trepat, Xavier, Gopfrich, Kerstin, (2026). Mechanically Programmable DNA Hydrogel Microparticles for 3D Cellular Systems ADVANCED MATERIALS , 
Hydrogel microparticles (HMPs) are powerful tools to study and manipulate cellular behavior in 3D cell culture systems and animal models. Here, fully DNA-based HMPs are presented, whose material properties can be precisely tuned by sequence-programmable design of self-assembling DNA nanostructures. These DNA-HMPs offer control over size, stiffness, viscoelasticity and ligand presentation. They are formed by microfluidic encapsulation of two types of orthogonal DNA nanostars and a sequence-complementary DNA linker in water-in-oil droplets. By varying the valency of the DNA nanostar designs, tunable mechanical properties are achieved - spanning three orders of magnitude in Young's modulus from to with distinct viscoelastic behavior. Click-chemistry based functionalization with the small fibronectin-derived peptide cyclic-RGD (c[RGD]) enables integration into fibroblast spheroids. DNA-HMPs are stably retained within the spheroids for several days and undergo remodeling, indicating active interactions between the cells and the DNA-HMPs. Combining programmable material properties and inherent biocompatibility of DNA with straightforward functionalization and stimuli-responsiveness, these DNA-HMPs represent a versatile tool to probe and manipulate tissue behaviors in 3D cell cultures.
JTD Keywords: 3d cell culture, Biomaterials, Complex, Dna hydrogel, Dna nanotechnology, Hydrogel microparticles, Mechanobiology, Microfluidics, Microrheology, Microscopy, Phase, Stiffness
