Abstract
This paper describes a method for constriction of three-dimensional (3D) cellular microstructures powered by cell traction forces with origami folding technique. Origami, the traditional Japanese art of paper folding, has remained popular over the centuries because it enables the production of various 3D sculptures simply by folding 2D sheets. We seeded cells onto biocompatible microplates produced by MEMS technique. The cells were adhered and stretched onto the plates. Immediately after detaching the plates from a glass substrate, the plates were lifted and folded up into 3D microstructures due to the traction forces caused by stretched cells between two microplates. Using this method we produced various 3D microstructures such as cubes, regular dodecahedrons and cylindrical tubes. We believe that this method is useful to fold 2D plates into 3D cellular microstructures. Also, it is expected to be useful in biotechnological applications such as cell-based medical devices.
