Adhesion molecules, the “glue” between cells, are essential for cell binding and communication, and for building and enabling tissue function.
In a recent article published in Nature, scientists have designed adhesion molecules that can be modularly assembled and used to successfully guide the precise binding between cells.
Adhesion molecules consist of an extracellular receptor, which determines the object of cell binding, and an intracellular part, which determines the strength of viscosity.
By arranging and combining the two parts with different functions, it is possible to control the type and manner of cell binding and build specific multicellular systems.
This research will help to study cellular interactions and to build regenerative medicine for tissues and organs.
