Academic Awards 2025 booklet

85 Engineering supramolecular microgels into artificial matrices The human body is one of nature’s most complex structures, consisting of billions of cells working together. Between these cells lies the extracellular matrix (ECM), a gel-like network that supports cell function and communication. When disease occurs both the cells and the ECM can become damaged, hindering tissue repair and regeneration. To support the cells by mimicking the ECM, hydrogels have been investigated as supportive biomaterials. Traditional hydrogels are often bulky and lack the spatial precision needed to replicate natural tissues. To overcome this, we engineered microgels (tiny, modular building blocks; figure 1) using supramolecular chemistry and droplet-based microfluidics. The microgel properties can be precisely tuned, making them suitable for culturing both human and plant cells. For example, we encapsulated eye cells in the microgels and observed them autonomously escape, interact, and build new tissue-like structures using the same microgels as they escaped from (figure 2). We also created hydrogels as scaffold material to help grow and guide nerve cells. Excitingly, we pioneered the use of these microgels to culture plant cells, a very challenging endeavor (figure 3). We showed that plant- and biomedical tissue engineering can mutually inspire and learn from each other. This thesis demonstrates that supramolecular microgels can be tailored for regenerative applications, from the cornea to the nervous system, while also opening new doors in plant-based cellular agriculture. Figure 1: Supramolecular microgels (green) supported in a hydrogel network (magenta). Figure 2: Eye cells encapsulated in microgels form their own tissue structures (red and cyan). Time- lapse video captures the dynamic process as the cells actively build these tissues. Figure 3: Plant protoplast cells (green) surround by a supramolecular network (magenta).