Researchers develop new method to 3D print micrometer-sized structures within cells

Researchers have developed a way to 3D print custom micrometer-sized structures directly into the interior of living cells. As reported in Advanced Materials, the investigators used their method to print complex microstructures in shapes including barcodes, geometric patterns, and even a tiny elephant.

The breakthrough involves injecting a cell with a bio-compatible light-sensitive material called photoresist and then treating the cell with a special laser that polymerizes the photoresist into an intracellular structure with submicron resolution. A cell treated with this method not only contains the newly fabricated structure within its interior, but also keeps on living and dividing, passing the structure on to one of the daughter cells that result from cell division.

Although the research is preliminary, it could be the basis for printing tiny machines or devices inside cells to provide deeper insights into biological functions or to instill enhanced or entirely new properties to cells.

Our method provides a new tool to manipulate living cells from the inside, enabling a new approach to studying their mechanical and biological responses."

Maruša Mur, PhD, co-author of the Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia