Shanghai, April 16, 2025 — Researchers from East China University of Science and Technology (ECUST) have achieved a breakthrough in blending synthetic materials with living systems. A team led by Professor Xuhong Guo and Special Researcher Yiming Wang has developed a novel strategy to synthesize completely artificial, non-biological supramolecular polymers directly inside living cells. This work, published as a Hot Paper in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, demonstrates a new approach to intervening in biological functions.
The study addresses a major challenge: how to controllably assemble synthetic structures within the complex interior of a living cell. The team designed a system where an organic catalyst, pre-loaded into cells, rapidly triggers a reaction between two precursor molecules. This reaction forms a new compound that spontaneously self-assembles into supramolecular polymers in situ.
Crucially, the presence of these man-made polymers inside cells had a significant biological effect. Cell migration tracking studies revealed that the polymers significantly slowed down cell movement. The mechanism involves the polymers increasing intracellular crowding, which disrupts the internal diffusion of substances and impairs the cell's structural network responsible for movement.
This research successfully bridges the gap between synthetic materials and living systems, offering a new tool for potential applications such as creating artificial cellular structures or developing novel therapeutic strategies by physically altering cell behavior.
