MINI REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomaterials
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1716071
This article is part of the Research TopicEnvironmentally-Responsive Biomaterials for Major Diseases Treatment, Volume IIView all 3 articles
DNA-programmed cell assembly: from cells, tissues to organoids
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Ningbo, China
- 2Ningbo University, Ningbo, China
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The precise spatial organization of cells into functional tissues represents a fundamental challenge in biology and regenerative medicine. Conventional methods for directing cell assembly often lack the specificity, reproducibility, and dynamic control necessary to mimic native tissue architectures. This review explores the emerging use of DNA as a programmable and biocompatible strategy to engineer cell–cell interactions and construct hierarchically ordered tissue models. We first introduce the properties of various DNA toolbox and their strategies for cell modification and assembly. Importantly, we highlight the latest research advances in DNA-encoded cell spheroids, layered tissues, and organoids. Finally, we summarize current challenges and future directions in DNA-programmed assemblies.
Keywords: cell assembly, DNA nanomaterials, Cell Engineering, cell-cell interactions, tissue models, Organoids
Received: 30 Sep 2025; Accepted: 20 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wang, Chen and Fu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Kaizhe Wang, wangkaizhe@nimte.ac.cn
Pan Fu, fupan@nimte.ac.cn
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.