Objective
Millions of years of natural evolution have refined cellular tissues into exceptionally sophisticated materials. Not only they present the widest spectrum of mechanical properties, but they also self-organize, generate forces at different scales, react to external stimuli, and self-heal. Exploiting the unique features of tissues to build biohybrid actuators is thus the new paradigm in soft robotics. Muscular (myo-) tissues, composed of myotubes, are highly contractile and have become the main choice for the design of biohybrid actuators, typically millimetric hydrogel objects embedding muscle cells. Importantly, due to a combination of factors, including a lack of control on myotube growth, poor integration of the myotubes with their environment, or slow nutrient perfusion, artificial muscular tissues have so far displayed significantly low efficiencies compared with natural muscle. Furthermore, current biohybrid actuators hinder both the characterization of myotubes’ architecture and the mapping of forces at the myotube scale. To overcome these limitations, we propose a new approach to prepare biohybrid actuators based on the control of myotube growth at the microscale. First, we propose a platform to grow myotubes with controlled size and shape, and to characterize their contractile behavior. By using this platform, I will be able to investigate the interplay between myotube architecture and force generation. Second, we propose a set of fine-tuned artificial scaffolds, which will guide myotube growth and self-integration, leading to active composites able to generate specific mechanical tasks. Finally, to tame the self-contractility of the active composites, optogenetically-modified myotubes will be incorporated, allowing external actuation with light. This proposal presents a novel experimental toolbox for controlling the shape of myotubes and mapping their forces at the micron scale, both key for designing efficient muscular micro-actuators.
Fields of science
Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
08028 Barcelona
Spain