Oil in water solution developed with surface properties like biological cells

A new oil in water solution has been developed by physicists at New York University which has surface properties like those found on biological cells.

Adhesion between compressed oil droplets mimics the mechanical properties of tissues and opens the path to numerous practical applications, ranging from biocompatible cosmetics to artificial tissue engineering.

The method was created in the laboratory of Jasna Brujićat of New York University and has been detailed in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work moves on previous research which determined how spheres pack and devised methods for manipulating the packing process.

In the new study, Dr Brujićat and her research team looked to find a method which addresses the role of packing in tissues from the point of view of how mechanical forces affect protein-protein adhesion between cells.

Cell-to-cell adhesion is crucial to the integrity of tissue structure, but the complexity of biological systems has prevented their description using general theoretical concepts taken from the physical sciences. Therefore, a new biomimetic solution was created by the researchers, which reproduces the main features of cell-to-cell adhesion in tissues.

The researchers were able to isolate the optimal conditions for cell-to-cell adhesion by varying the amount of force by which the droplets of oil were compressed by centrifugation and the amount of salt added to this solution.

They were also able to enhance the protein-protein interactions on the droplet surfaces, screening electrostatic charges by the addition of salt and compressing the droplets by force. This creates adhesion between contacting droplets covering all the interfaces, just as in the case of biological tissues.

The results successfully matched the theoretical modelling of the process, and offer a solution for manipulating force and pressure in order to bind emulsions. This could have a range of impacts on the consumer product world, and will improve pharmaceuticals by bolstering the delivery of therapeutic molecules to the blood stream.

Posted by Joseph Hutton