Tissue morphology controlled by micropatterning and self-assembly of vascular mesenchymal cells

Creating patterns of constituent ingredients are essential for tissue regeneration. Using vascular mesenchymal cells (VMCs) which spontaneously aggregate into multicellular structure, we demonstrate a MEMS-based method to direct the assembly of VMCs into desired tissue patterns. Incorporating the inherent chirality of VMCs revealed by micro-engineered substrates, differences in initial cell plating can be amplified into the formation of exquisite radial structures resembling the crosssectional structure of liver lobules. Furthermore, when cocultured with VMCs, vascular endothelial cells (ECs) tracked with the VMCs and formed a coherent radial pattern, indicating the applicability to heterotypical cell organization. We envision method has broad implications for building instructive microenvironment for tissue engineering.