Functional Prototissues Using Artificial Cells as Building Blocks and Their Biomedical Applications

The construction of living systems from the bottom-up helps to explore the complex processes of life and to understand their working mechanism. Prototissues, constructed using artificial cells as building blocks, mimic life systems at a high-order tissue level, whilst artificial cells usually mimic living cells at the individual cell level. The 3D biomimetic prototissues demonstrate exceptional performances and collective functions, which reveal the working mechanisms of living tissues and hold promising potential for biomedical applications. This review systematically summarized the research progress of the field of prototissues. The engineering methods for fabricating two types of prototissues are introduced first, followed by the functions of prototissues including collective behaviors and signal communications, as well as their biomedical applications. The challenges and future trends are proposed at the end of the paper.