EAPSI:Engineering Artificial Cells that Sense a Chemical Target and Migrate in its direction

Razavi Shiva, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

A highly ubiquitous process in biology is cell migration: not only does it govern many cellular events such as inflammatory response, tissue regeneration, and wiring of nervous system, it is also central to pathogenesis of diseases such as cancer, infection, and allergies. Thus, elucidating the mechanism of cellular movement is key to understanding signaling networks within cells and devising therapeutics. Many of the studies involving cell migration are performed in a living cell, a model system that is complex due to the large pool of molecules it encapsulates. The goal of this project is to study cell migration in a reduced, minimal system. Akin to the process of assembling radio parts to understand its functional mechanism, the project aims to reassemble the molecular players of cell movement in an artificial cell-like structure to understand how these molecules interact with each other. Dr. Shoji Takeuchi?s lab at University of Tokyo has the microfabrication expertise that allows for fast production of cell-like micro compartments using a microfluidics platform. Thus the biomolecules can be readily packaged and studied in these engineered cells. Thus far, the molecular players of motility are identified, however it is not yet known how these molecules interact with each other and the cell membrane to orchestrate directed cell migration. To avoid the complexities involved with studying cell migration in a highly intertwined cellular milieu, this project aims to engineer an artificial cell that is built one molecule type at a time, is minimal in the number of components, and can migrate towards a desired target. This synthetic system is composed of controlled lipid membrane and protein variables, and thus the long-standing question of cell migration could be rigorously addressed. The engineered cell also could serve as a biomimetic device for delivering drugs and biomolecules in a biological environment. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).