Magnetic soft robotics to manipulate the extracellular matrix in vitro

The importance of dynamic mechanical control over the cellular microenvironment has long been appreciated. In a recent issue of Device, Raman and colleagues design a clever yet generalizable tool to achieve this, illustrating magnetic stimulation of an engineered extracellular matrix to induce muscle fiber alignment toward programmed functioning. The importance of dynamic mechanical control over the cellular microenvironment has long been appreciated. In a recent issue of Device, Raman and colleagues design a clever yet generalizable tool to achieve this, illustrating magnetic stimulation of an engineered extracellular matrix to induce muscle fiber alignment toward programmed functioning. Mechanically programming anisotropy in engineered muscle with actuating extracellular matricesRios et al.DeviceOctober 20, 2023In BriefLiving cells embedded in an extracellular matrix sense and respond to mechanical stimuli in their environment. We have developed a method for magnetic matrix actuation (MagMA) enabling dynamic, non-invasive mechanical stimulation of tissues. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we show that MagMA programs the alignment of skeletal muscle fibers with downstream functional effects on the global synchrony of muscle contraction. Precisely controlling muscle morphology and force generation is of significant importance in applications ranging from regenerative medicine to robotics. Full-Text PDF Open Access