New and Emerging Technologies from Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering: Insect Muscle Bioactuators for Robotic Applications.
Baryshyan, Amanda.
2013
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Abstract: Bioactuation involves using biological components, such as muscle
cells, to generate mechanical force. The applications for this technology include
microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), actuators in small robots, and moving parts in any
meso-scaled device. The advantages of fabricating an actuator from cells, rather than
synthetic materials, are their ability to self-assemble, be po... read morewered by natural fuel sources
such as sugar and fat, operate silently over fast time scales, and biodegrade. Several
studies have investigated the feasibility of forming bioactuators from mammalian muscle,
but their stringent environmental requirements limit their applicability to real-world
devices. Therefore, we have investigated the use of insect cells toward a bioactuation
system; insect tissues are known to tolerate a wide range of temperature, pH and starvation
conditions. Manduca sexta cells were isolated from embryos staged for the presence of
myoblasts and, using insect hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone, differentiated into functional
muscle fibers. The cultures display cross-striations, are multinucleated, and survive for
periods of > 3 months without medium replenishment. We investigated the potential cause
for this and found that maternally-derived yolk cells were also present in our cultures. In
the embryo, these cells are responsible for the storage, breakdown and delivery of
carbohydrates, amino acids, and lipids to the developing embryo. We hypothesized that this
process could also be taking place in our cultures. We have further developed these cells
into scaffold-free 3-dimensional tissues, grown at high density in PDMS chambers. Over
periods of one week, the cells condense into contractile structures; the presence of a
mixture of cell types contributes to the ability of the tissue to maintain its integrity
without the need for an extracellular matrix or gel support. The muscle tissues produce
forces in the uN range spontaneously, which is comparable to literature results for
mammalian engineered tissues stimulated electrically. Additionally, we have shown that
these tissues are capable of exerting force onto synthetic supports for robotic
displacement. The results of our studies have demonstrated that robotic and microsystem
actuation may be achieved using contractile insect muscle tissues generated in
vitro.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Tufts University, 2013.
Submitted to the Dept. of Biomedical Engineering.
Advisor: David Kaplan.
Committee: Barry Trimmer, Lauren Black, and George Christ.
Keywords: Biomedical engineering, Biology, and Robotics.read less - ID:
- st74d307b
- Component ID:
- tufts:21870
- To Cite:
- DCA Citation Guide EndNote
