MYOFORCE
Financiado
Control of myotube growth for the generation of synthetic muscular micro actuato...
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 d...
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.
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Duración del proyecto: 37 meses
Fecha Inicio: 2022-07-18
Fecha Fin: 2025-08-31
Fecha Fin: 2025-08-31
Línea de financiación: concedida
El organismo HORIZON EUROPE notifico la concesión del proyecto el día 2022-07-18
Línea de financiación objetivo
El proyecto se financió a través de la siguiente ayuda:
HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-01:
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021
Cerrada
hace 3 años
Presupuesto
El presupuesto total del proyecto asciende a
165K€
Líder del proyecto
FUNDACIO INSTITUT DE BIOENGINYERIA DE CATALUN...
Otra investigación y desarrollo experimental en ciencias naturales y técnicas asociacion
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
Perfil tecnológico
TRL
4-5
N.D. |
Participante