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Continuous Production of Acoustically Patterned Cells Within Hydrogel Fibers for Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering
Author(s) -
Deshmukh Dhananjay V.,
Reichert Peter,
Zvick Joel,
Labouesse Céline,
Künzli Valentin,
Dudaryeva Oksana,
BarNur Ori,
Tibbitt Mark W.,
Dual Jurg
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202113038
Subject(s) - myogenesis , materials science , tissue engineering , myocyte , biomedical engineering , extrusion , nanotechnology , microbiology and biotechnology , composite material , biology , medicine
Many mammalian tissues have a specific cellular arrangement that enables their unique function. For example, parallel alignment of myofibers enables uniaxial muscle contraction. To engineer structured tissues ex vivo, it is critical to recapitulate this cellular arrangement. Conventional 3D encapsulation often fails to recapitulate this complexity, motivating the need for advanced patterning approaches. In this work, an acoustofluidic device to continuously pattern mammalian cells within hydrogel fibers is engineered. Contactless acoustofluidic forces are used to control the spacing between parallel lines of cells. To enable continuous extrusion of cell‐laden hydrogel fibers, a low friction Teflon tube is integrated into the device. A photopolymerizable hydrogel allows triggering gelation externally with light once the cells are under the influence of the acoustic field, setting the patterned cells within the hydrogel fiber. Using this device, the muscle progenitor cells (myoblasts) within the hydrogel are patterned in parallel lines to mimic the structure of skeletal muscle. The increased formation of myotubes and spontaneous twitching of the myotubes in patterned samples are observed. This approach combining continuous fabrication with the tunability of acoustofluidics can create complex 3D tissues to engineer skeletal muscles as well as tendons, ligaments, vascular networks, or combinations thereof in the future.