Engineering Cellular Self‐Adhesions Inside 3D Printed Micro‐Arches to Enhance Cell:Biomaterial Attachment

Abstract A cell can bind to itself and form a self‐adhesion that can be engineered and harnessed as a new way to adhere cells to engineered materials–a key challenge for biomaterials are demonstrated. Here, a 3D structure smaller is developed than a single cell, that a Self‐Adhesion‐Tunnel (SAT) is called, that causes cells to wrap around it and bind to themselves. This process is driven through the cadherin proteins that regulate cell‐cell adhesion, and it is shown that many of the key elements of a normal cell‐cell adhesion are found in self‐adhesions. Size and shape of the SAT determine the efficiency of self‐adhesion formation, and >90% efficient formation of self‐adhesions are observed in both kidney and skin cells per SAT. Self‐adhesions can persist for at least 24 hrs and act to stabilize the cell‐material interface and reduce migration. Overall, this ability to co‐opt the native cell‐cell adhesion machinery in cells and use it as an attachment strategy can provide new approaches for soft‐tissue implant integration and tissue engineering scaffolds where stable tissue‐material interfaces are critical.