Giant Unilamellar Vesicle-Based Synthetic Cell Tools

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Jorik Waeterschoot

Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS) at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Dr. Jorik Waeterschoot earned his Bachelor’s degree in Bioscience Engineering from the University of Antwerp, followed by a Master’s degree in Nanoscience, Nanotechnology, and Nanoengineering from KU Leuven, with a specialized focus on Bionanotechnology. He is currently pursuing a PhD in the Biomimetics Lab at KU Leuven, where his research contributes to the Synery project, a Horizon Europe initiative aimed at creating artificial red blood cells. Jorik’s work involves exploring innovative methods for producing Giant Unilamellar Vesicles that mimic the size, lipid, and protein composition of natural red blood cells. To achieve these goal, he employs a diverse array of techniques, including microfluidics, nanoparticles, and lipid nanodiscs.

Willemien Gosselé

Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS) at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Willemien Gosselé is currently a PhD researcher at the Department of Biosystems at KU Leuven, Belgium, where she graduated in 2022 as a Bioscience Engineer with a major in Bio-nanotechnology. Her PhD project focuses on engineering the mechanics and morphology of giant lipid vesicles in order to make them suitable for therapeutic in vivo applications.

Hojjat Alizadeh Zeinabad

Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS) at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

Dr. Hojjat Alizadeh Zeinabad is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biosystems at KU Leuven, Belgium. His research focuses on developing artificial cells. He earned his PhD from the University of Galway, where he engineered nanoscale artificial cells to target leukemia and contributed to the development of a novel 3D culturing model that mimics leukemic stem cell quiescence. Earlier in his career, his work concentrated on nano-bio interactions and nanoformulations for targeting tumour cells. He also contributed to the design and development of capacitive immunosensors. Hojjat's diverse background and experiences allow him to approach interdisciplinary projects from multiple perspectives.

Xavier Casadevall i Solvas

Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS) at KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

After graduating in Chemical Engineering, Xevi held positions in industry (Food and Pharma) before moving to UC Irvine where in 2009 he obtained a PhD in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering under the supervision of Prof. Marc Madou for his work on Bio-MEMS. He then moved to Imperial College London, where as a postdoc he contributed to develop microfluidic technology for high throughput screening. In 2012 Xevi joined the ETH Zürich as a Senior Scientist, where he led research lines on applied microfluidic technology for biological experimentation in single cells and C. elegans nematodes. After a 1-year project at Novartis (contributing to establish their European Cell & Gene manufacturing facility), since 2019 he leads the Biomimetics group in the Biosystems department at KU Leuven, where he works on replicating biological processes at the micro- and nano-scale for applications in human health.

Collection Overview

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) are lipid vesicles larger than 1 µm that have garnered significant interest in artificial cell research. Similar in size to actual cells, GUVs can be further engineered to provide a biologically relevant framework for developing artificial cells. However, a functional cell is far more complex than a simple lipid vesicle, as it also contains various transmembrane proteins, cytoskeletal structures, and cytosolic protein networks.

As research progresses, our ability to construct increasingly complex GUVs continues to advance. Emerging GUV production techniques enable the encapsulation of whole-cell extracts, cytoskeletal components, and DNA/RNA origami structures. In addition to direct encapsulation, researchers are also exploring template-based approaches for GUV production. This method involves coating hydrogels and coacervates with a lipid bilayer, producing stabilized GUVs with a wide range of potential applications.

Given the challenges associated with establishing GUV production protocols in the lab, this Methods Collection aims to compile the most promising methods currently being developed. It will equip researchers with the tools to rapidly initiate GUV production and further enhance the complexity of their artificial cells.