I-Corps: CELLDIPS-Cell Discovery Platforms for commercial and educational applications

细胞是我们整个身体的基础，也相互沟通。因此，细胞包含了许多关于种群、变化和适应的经验。开发一种进入学生教室的人造细胞产品将有利于他们的学习，并提供更多的教学工具选择。更先进的人工细胞平台可能会影响应用和基础研究部门，因为它也为观察动态过程提供了更多的选择。该项目旨在将人工（制造）细胞和细胞平台商业化，以满足教育、研究和工业需求。这项技术将包括使用3D打印机来制造这些人造细胞，因为这些打印机在建筑方面变得越来越容易获得，而且成本效益也越来越高。在这个项目中开发的技术将与教育和可视化软件相结合，这样人工细胞将在软件学习工具的辅助下为学生提供动手实验和测试。由于活细胞的复杂性和成本，需要这种人工细胞技术来经济有效地教授学生细胞过程的动力学，同时让他们进行实验和测试想法。该项目的技术组件将利用3D打印机制造中空的人造细胞，以便在水环境中对细胞的动态过程进行可视化和测试。塑料将是最初的材料基础，因为它们可以3D打印，但其他材料也将被纳入平台，如染料和化学品，这些材料将定义动态过程。人工细胞套件还将包括基于“捕食者-猎物”和其他将指导实验和测试的动态过程的教学和实验软件。人造细胞最初会被制造出来，它们大到可以用数码相机握住，而且不需要显微镜就能看到。未来几代人造细胞将包括动态过程，以进行更先进的测试，包括荧光和基于显微镜的测量。最终，一个人工细胞和细胞成分的技术“库”被设想为学习和研究工具。

Cells are the basis of our whole bodies, and also communicate with each other. Therefore, cells contain many lessons about populations, change, and adaptations. Developing an artificial cell product that gains entrance into the classrooms of students will benefit their learning and provide expanded choices of teaching tools. More advance artificial cell platforms may impact applied and basic research sectors by also providing expanded choices for looking at dynamic processes. This project aims to commercialize artificial (manufactured) cells and cell platforms for educational, research, and industry needs. The technology will include the use of 3D printers to make these artificial cells, since these printers are becoming increasingly available and cost-effective for construction purposes. The technology developed in this project will be paired with educational and visualization software so that the artificial cells will provide hands-on experiments and testing to students, assisted by the software learning tools. Due to the complex nature and cost of living cells, this artificial cell technology is needed to cost-effectively teach students the dynamics of cellular processes and at the same time let them carry out experiments and test ideas. The technological components of this project will utilize 3D printers to make artificial cells that are hollow and structured to allow for visualization and testing of the dynamic processes of cells in aqueous environments. Plastics will be the initial materials base, since they can be 3D printed, but other materials will also be incorporated into the platforms such as dyes and chemicals that will define the dynamic processes. The artificial cell kits will also include instructional and experimental software based on "predator-prey" and other dynamic processes that will guide experimentation and testing. Constructed artificial cells will be generated initially that are large enough to be held and visualized with digital cameras without the need of microscopes. Future generations of artificial cells will include dynamic processes for more advanced testing to include fluorescence- and microscopy- based measurements. Ultimately a technology "library" of artificial cells and cell components is envisioned for learning and research tools.