De-novo design of actively spinning and gyrating spherical micro-vesicles

Abstract

Engineering spherical self-propelled swimmers that exhibit rotation and directed translation has posed a significant experimental challenge in biomedicine design. Often a secondary external field or asymmetric geometry is employed to generate rotation, complicating the design process. In this work, we utilize spherical Giant Unilamellar Vesicles (GUVs) as chassis and enzymes undergoing cyclic, non-reciprocal conformational changes as power units to establish design principles to synthesize autonomous spherical micro-rotors. Leveraging transient interactions, we induce spontaneous symmetry-breaking in enzyme distribution on GUVs, enabling diverse movements from pure spinning to spiral 3D trajectories. With this design, we now open new avenues for advancing self-propelled systems with biocompatible materials, unlocking innovations in biomedical applications.