microECM

microECM refers to extracellular matrix components organized at the microscale to create controlled microenvironments for cells. In tissue engineering and cell biology, microECMs are engineered materials and structures that replicate key biochemical and biophysical cues of native ECM but with precise control over composition, stiffness, porosity, and geometry. They can be assembled from natural polymers such as collagen, gelatin, fibrin, and hyaluronic acid, or from synthetic or hybrid hydrogels including PEG, GelMA, and decellularized ECM components, often formatted into microgels, microfibers, or patterned films. The goal is to provide cells with relevant adhesion ligands, growth factors, and mechanical context while enabling defined microarchitectures.

Fabrication approaches include microfabrication and lithography to pattern ECM on substrates, 3D bioprinting, microfluidic generation of ECM-containing droplets or fibers, and self-assembly of microgels. Characteristic features of microECM systems are controllable stiffness, degradation rate, porosity, and spatial presentation of cues at the cellular scale, as well as the ability to create heterogeneity across a microenvironment.

Applications span organ-on-a-chip and tumor-on-a-chip platforms, 3D cell culture models for studying development and disease, stem cell differentiation, wound healing, and drug screening. Advantages include heightened experimental control, reproducibility, compatibility with imaging, and the ability to create defined microtissues at scale. Limitations involve variability in natural ECM components, challenges in reproducing the full complexity of in vivo ECM, manufacturing costs, and ensuring biocompatibility and regulatory acceptability for clinical use.

Ongoing work focuses on dynamic and multiplexed ECM cues, integration with microfluidics, and patient-specific ECM constructs to improve physiological relevance and translational potential.