Sticky DNA...

The cells in this microscope image were arranged in three dimensions using a new DNA-based technique. The cells stained green were meant to mimic cells that lead outgrowth during natural organ formation.

Topics: 3D Objects, Additive Manufacturing, Biology, Biophysics, Biomedicine, Computer Science, Mathematical Models

Before scientists can build human organs in the lab, they need to figure out how to build tissues that work like those in the body. A new method, in which DNA acts like Velcro that makes cells stick to each other, could help pave the way toward building functional tissues that might one day comprise organs.

The new method employs DNA strands, attached to the outside of individual cells, to cause them to stick to surfaces—or other cells—that feature complementary strands, and assemble into prescribed arrangements. The researchers use it to programmatically build tissues, layer by layer.

Other groups are taking a range of approaches toward building functional tissues (see “A Manufacturing Tool Builds 3-D Heart Tissue”). But compared to existing 3-D culture methods, the new one provides a greater level of control over “the ultimate tissue architecture,” argue its creators in a recent paper describing the research.

MIT Technology Review: Sticky DNA Could be the Key to Making Organs in a Lab, Mike Orcutt