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  4. Engineered Extracellular Matrices with Integrated Wireless Microactuators to Study Mechanobiology
 
research article

Engineered Extracellular Matrices with Integrated Wireless Microactuators to Study Mechanobiology

Uslu, Fazil E.
•
Davidson, Christopher D.
•
Mailand, Erik
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August 7, 2021
Advanced Materials

Mechanobiology explores how forces regulate cell behaviors and what molecular machinery are responsible for the sensing, transduction, and modulation of mechanical cues. To this end, probing of cells cultured on planar substrates has served as a primary experimental setting for many decades. However, native extracellular matrices (ECMs) consist of fibrous protein assemblies where the physical properties spanning from the individual fiber to the network architecture can influence the transmission of forces to and from the cells. Here, a robotic manipulation platform that allows wireless, localized, and programmable deformation of an engineered fibrous ECM is introduced. A finite-element-based digital twin of the fiber network calibrated against measured local and global parameters enables the calculation of deformations and stresses generated by different magnetic actuation schemes across a range of network properties. Physiologically relevant mechanical forces are applied to cells cultured on the fiber network, statically or dynamically, revealing insights into the effects of matrix-borne forces and deformations as well as force-mediated matrix remodeling on cell migration and intracellular signaling. These capabilities are not matched by any existing approach, and this versatile platform has the potential to uncover fundamental mechanisms of mechanobiology in settings with greater relevance to living tissues.

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Type
research article
DOI
10.1002/adma.202102641
Author(s)
Uslu, Fazil E.
Davidson, Christopher D.
Mailand, Erik
Bouklas, Nikolaos
Baker, Brendon M.
Sakar, Selman  
Date Issued

2021-08-07

Publisher

Wiley

Published in
Advanced Materials
Article Number

2102641

Subjects

extracellular matrix

•

finite-element modeling

•

mechanobiology

•

micromanipulation

•

robotics

Note

This is an Open Access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License

Editorial or Peer reviewed

REVIEWED

Written at

EPFL

EPFL units
MICROBS  
Available on Infoscience
August 8, 2021
Use this identifier to reference this record
https://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/180437
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