Using microfluidics to create and utilise anisotropy within protocells and protocell communities.

本博士旨在从自然初级生命的各向异性模式中寻求灵感，并使用微流体技术在原始细胞和原始细胞菌落中模拟这些模式。各向异性在自然界中无处不在，甚至在细胞发育的最早阶段就很明显，因此对现代生命的出现至关重要。各向异性也被用于各种实际应用，如药物输送、自组装和显示系统。本项目旨在模拟和利用各向异性模式在原细胞的细胞设计和发展。微流体学是在微观尺度上操纵流体的有力工具。其中的一个子类，基于液滴的微流体，可用于制造均匀的微形状，例如球形液滴，棒和盘。微流控芯片的精心设计也可以将生物材料封装在这些微形状中。本项目旨在利用微流体技术构建各向异性棒状原始细胞，并将原始细胞的各向异性分布封装在这些形状中，从而形成原始细胞信号和通信的平台。因此，这个博士项目的总体大纲是，使用基于微流体的液滴构建各向异性的原始细胞，并在这些较大的亲本原始细胞中探索各向异性间隔的原始细胞域之间的化学信号传导。从更广泛的意义上讲，本博士的目标是开发用于原始细胞研究的微流体技术，并深入了解各向异性如何产生差异。

This PhD is designed to seek inspiration from anisotropic patterns in natural primary life and to use microfluidic techniques to mimic these patterns within protocells and protocell colonies. Anisotropy is ubiquitous in the natural world, evident in even the earliest stages of cell development and thus essential for the emergence of modern life. Anisotropy is also utilised in a variety of practical applications such as in drug delivery, self-assembly and display systems. This project aims to mimic and utilise anisotropic patterns in protocell cell design and development. Microfluidics is a powerful tool for the manipulation of fluids on the microscale. A sub-category of which, droplet-based microfluidics, can be used to fabricate homogenous micro shapes for example, spherical droplets, rods and disks. Careful design of microfluidic chips also enables the encapsulation of biomaterials inside these micro shapes. This project aims to exploit microfluidic technologies to construct anisotropic rod-like protocells and to encapsulate anisotropic distributions of protocells within these shapes, leading to a platform for protocell signalling and communication.The general outline of this PhD project is thus, to construct anisotropic protocells using droplet-based microfluidics and to explore chemical signalling between anisotropically spaced protocell domains, within such larger parent protocells. In a broader sense, this PhD aims to develop microfluidic techniques for applications in protocell research, and to develop a deep understanding about how anisotropy makes a difference.