# Assembling Lipid Membrane Scaffolds on Microgel-Based Artificial Cells through Vesicle Fusion onto the Hydrogel Network

## TL;DR

Scientists created artificial cells with a hydrogel core and a lipid membrane, enabling them to mimic biological cells and potentially be used in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

## Contribution

A novel method for assembling fluid lipid membranes on hydrogel-based artificial cells through vesicle fusion.

## Key findings

- Lipid membranes were successfully fused onto hydrogel networks to create cell-like structures.
- The lipid membrane enhanced hydrogel properties like permeability and protection from degraders.
- The membrane is compatible with organelle-like substructures, enabling more complex artificial cell designs.

## Abstract

Artificial cells assembled from materials such as hydrogels
have
emerged as platforms to replicate and understand biological functionalities,
processes, and behaviors. However, hydrogels lack a lipid membrane,
a vital property of cellular systems. Here we develop a process for
the assembly of a fluid and stable lipid membrane which coats the
hydrogel mesh network within the particle, through electostatically-mediated
fusion of nanoscale lipid vesicles. This confers cell-mimetic and
biotechnologically relevant properties upon microscale, cell sized,
hydrogel artificial cells generated through microfluidics. We exploit
the properties of the created membrane to augment existing hydrogel
properties through permeability alteration and protection of the hydrogel
from small molecule degraders. Furthermore, we show that the lipid
membrane is compatible with organelle substructures within the hydrogels,
which enables the exploitation of an enhanced material design space
to build hydrogel artificial cells that increasingly mimic the organization
of cells. This platform paves the way for producing next generation
artificial cells and functional microdevices from interfaced hydrogel-lipid
materials. Our technologies may underpin new opportunities for integrating
membranes into hydrogel-based systems, inlcuding for drug delivery
and tissue engineering.