This work was supported by the EC within the framework of the STIFF-FLOP FP7-ICT-2011.2.1 European Project (#287728).

Remarque: Ce protocole décrit les phases de fabrication d&#39;un module unique, qui comprend des chambres fluidiques, le canal, des canalisations d&#39;actionnement et la gaine externe de raidissement. La procédure suivante doit être exécutée sous une hotte et portant un manteau de laboratoire et gants pour des raisons de sécurité. Comme mentionné précédemment, le procédé de fabrication de l&#39;unité élastomère est basée sur l&#39;utilisation séquentielle des moules conçus avec un logiciel de CAO. Ils sont composés de 13 pièces représentées sur la figure 2 et dans le tableau 1. 1. Préparation de la silicone <ol><li> Peser 12 g de la partie A et 12 g de la partie B dans le même verre ou en plastique boîte de Pétri et les mélanger ensemble, en remuant. Note: les proportions des matériaux peuvent varier en fonction de la silicone spécifique utilisé, dans ce cas, il se compose de deux parties: la partie A (la base) et la partie B (catalyseur). Ils sont utilisés en proportion 1A: 1B en poids. </li><li> Placez le verre contenant le mélangematériaux de silicone ed dans une machine de dégazeur à dépression 1 bar. Maintenir le verre sous vide jusqu&#39;à ce que toutes les bulles sont enlevées de la matière silicone. Pour la silicone mise en oeuvre du procédé de dégazage prend environ 10 min. Une fois que les matériaux sont complètement libres de la présence de bulles, de rétablir la pression atmosphérique dans la machine et utiliser le silicone. </li></ol> 2. Fabrication du module silicié <ol><li> Assemblée du moule. <ol><li> Insérez le cylindre de raidissement et le haut des chambres dans cap_A (Figure 3a). </li><li> Fermez les coquilles autour de la deuxième couche de cap_A. </li></ol></li><li> Première coulée de silicone. <ol><li> Verser le silicone dans le moule assemblé jusqu&#39;au bord de la coquille (figure 3B). </li><li> Placer le moule dans une étuve à 60 ° C pendant environ 30 min. </li></ol></li><li> Réarrangement du moule. <ol><li> Enlevez les coquilles externes et cap_A (Figure 3c). </li><li> Insérez les cylindres des bases des chambres et le cylindre de raidissement intérieur cap_B (Figure 3d). </li><li> Fermer les coquilles de nouveau à travers le module, en les faisant glisser vers le haut de 10 mm afin d&#39;avoir un espace de 10 mm entre la surface supérieure du module et les bords des coquilles (figure 3e). </li></ol></li><li> Deuxième coulée de silicone. <ol><li> Verser le silicone dans le moule réarrangé jusqu&#39;au bord de la coquille sur la face supérieure (à savoir aussi à la rigidification de cylindre) (figure 3f). </li><li> Placez le moule dans un four à 60 ° C pendant environ 30 min. </li><li> Enlevez les coquilles externes, cap_B et les chambres (à l&#39;exception du cylindre de raidissement) (figure 3G). </li></ol></li></ol> 3. L&#39;insertion des tubes <ol><li> Couper 3 tubes à la même longueur souhaitée (300 mm par exemple). </li><li> Mettre colle silicié autour d&#39;une extrémité de chaque tube de 10 mm, sans obtruction des tubes. </li><li> Insérer les tubes à l&#39;intérieur des canaux de 2 mm dans l&#39;unité siliconic (figure 3h) dédiés. </li><li> Laisser un temps de durcissement de 12 minutes à la température ambiante ou à mettre le module dans un four à une température élevée (50 ° - 60 °) afin d&#39;accélérer le processus de séchage. </li></ol> 4. Fabrication de la gaine tressée Crimped <ol><li> Couper 700 mm d&#39;une gaine tressée expansible (environ 15 fois la hauteur du module). </li><li> Insérer un cylindre métallique de 30 mm de diamètre et 250 mm de longueur à l&#39;intérieur de la gaine. </li><li> Pousser vers le bas et forcer la gaine par glissement sur le cylindre, afin de créer des ondulations. </li><li> Mécaniquement fixer la gaine en place avec une pince et de la chaleur avec un pistolet de chauffage à 350 ° C pendant 2-3 min jusqu&#39;à une déformation permanente est obtenue. </li><li> Laissez refroidir la gaine et retirer le cylindre interne. </li></ol> 5. Intégration de la gaine externe <ol><li> Passe letubes dans les trous de cap_C. </li><li> Verser 3 g de silicone dans cap_C. </li><li> Pince cap_C à un support qui est plus élevé que le plan de travail. </li><li> Insérez le côté inférieur du module précédemment fabriqué en cap_C. </li><li> Glissez la gaine sertie autour du module. </li><li> Poussez les premières ondulations de la gaine à l&#39;intérieur cap_C et les tremper dans le silicone fraîchement coulé (figure 3i). </li><li> Placez le moule dans un four à 60 ° C pendant environ 20 min. </li><li> Répétez la même procédure à partir du point 5,1-5,6 pour fixer la gaine sur le côté supérieur, en utilisant cap_D (figure 3j). </li><li> Retirer cap_C et cap_D. </li><li> Retirer le cylindre central (figure 3k). </li></ol> 6. Fabrication de la membrane granulaire Jamming <ol><li> Verser 5 g de latex liquide dans un verre en plastique. </li><li> Immerger le cylindre de la membrane (dernière pièce représentée sur la figure 2) dans le latex liquide jusqu&#39;à ce que la surfaceest complètement recouverte. </li><li> Laissez sécher sous une hotte pendant 20 min. </li><li> Répéter les points 6.2 et 6.3. </li><li> Retirer la membrane du moule. </li></ol> 7. Insertion de la membrane granulaire Jamming <ol><li> Couper un tube (2 mm de diamètre) à la longueur désirée (300 mm par exemple). </li><li> Couper un morceau carré de l&#39;ordre de 100 mm 2 de tissu de nylon et de fermer une extrémité du tube avec ce tissu en utilisant un film de paraffine ou de colle plastique. </li><li> Peser 4 g de poudre de café et de remplir la membrane. </li><li> Insérer le tube (l&#39;extrémité avec le filtre) à l&#39;intérieur de la membrane rempli et le fixer autour du tube à l&#39;aide d&#39;un film de paraffine plastique. </li><li> Appliquer un vide de l&#39;autre côté du tube (la membrane devient plus rigide). </li><li> Insérez la membrane à l&#39;intérieur du canal central vide du module siliconic (Figure 3l). </li><li> Coller les extrémités de la membrane de renforcement au module de silicone. </li><li> Fermez les anneaux autour du sommetcôté du module (figure 3m). </li><li> Verser 2 g de silicone dans les anneaux afin de niveler la surface. </li><li> Laissez le silicone sécher sous la hotte ou dans un four à 60 °. </li><li> Retirez les anneaux. </li><li> Répétez des points 7.8 à 7.11 pour le côté inférieur (Figure 3n). </li></ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

The technique described in this protocol enables the fabrication of a pneumatically actuated soft unit usable for modular compliant structures. Thanks to the design of the molds and their simple assembly, it is possible to fabricate one complete module in about 4 hours with 7 main steps. The process of fabrication involves specific materials, which are easily available, and work should be carried out under a fume hood. An external set up including air valves, air compressor and vacuum pump is necessary to activate the mo...

Les tendances récentes dans le domaine médical font pression pour une réduction de l&#39;invasivité des opérations chirurgicales. Chirurgie minimalement invasive (MIS) a été amélioré avec succès au cours des dernières années pour les opérations abdominales. MIS procédures sont basées sur l&#39;utilisation d&#39;outils introduits par quatre ou cinq points d&#39;accès (trocarts) placés sur la paroi abdominale. Afin de réduire le nombre de trocarts, les instruments peuvent être insérés par Single Port laparoscopie (SPL) ou la chirurgie endoscopique transluminale par orifice naturel (NOTES) 1. Ces procédures prévenir les cicatrices visibles externes, mais augmentent la difficulté pour les cliniciens dans l&#39;exécution de l&#39;opération. Cette limitation est principalement due à des points réduits d&#39;accès et à la nature rigide et semi-rigide des instruments qui ne sont pas en mesure d&#39;éviter ou de passer autour des organes 2, 3. Dextérité et la motilité peuvent être améliorées en utilisant articulé et hyper-redondante robots qui peuvent couvrir un espace de travail plus large et plus complexe, THce qui nous permet d&#39;une cible spécifique dans le corps d&#39;atteindre plus facilement 4, 5, 6 et de travailler en tant que systèmes nécessaires quand 7 de rétraction. Un manipulateur flexible peut améliorer le respect des tissus, ce qui rend le contact plus sûr que par les outils traditionnels. Cependant, ces manipulateurs manquent souvent de stabilité lorsque la cible est atteinte et en général, ils ne peuvent pas contrôler le contact avec les tissus environnants 8, 9. Les études sur les structures biologiques, tels que le bras de la pieuvre 10 et la trompe d&#39;éléphant 11, ont récemment inspiré la conception de manipulateurs flexibles, déformables et conformes à un certain nombre redondant de degrés de liberté (DoFs) et la rigidité contrôlable 12. Ces types de dispositifs utilisent des ressorts passives, les matériaux intelligents, éléments pneumatiques, ou des tendons 13, 14, 15. En général, les manipulateurs fabriqués avec des matériaux souples et flexibles ne garantissent pas la génération de forces élevées. Til STIFF-FLOP (raideur de Manipulateur flexible et contrôlable Programmable pour des opérations chirurgicales) manipulateur a récemment été présenté comme un nouveau dispositif chirurgical pour les notes et SPL inspirés par les capacités de la pieuvre. Afin de surmonter les limitations des manipulateurs souples précédents, il a un corps mou ainsi que de haute dextérité, force élevée et la rigidité contrôlable 16. L&#39;architecture du manipulateur est basé sur une approche modulaire: plusieurs unités, avec la même structure et les fonctionnalités, sont intégrés ensemble. L&#39;unité est représentée seule sur la figure 1. Il est basé sur un cylindre en élastomère obtenu par une fabrication multiphase. Les étapes d&#39;assemblage des composants du moule et les processus de coulée permettent trois chambres vides (pour la commande fluidique) et un canal central creux 17 (pour le logement d&#39;un mécanisme fondé de brouillage granulaire 18) pour être embarqués. Les chambres sont placées à 120 °, de sorte que lal&#39;inflation combinée ir produit un mouvement omnidirectionnel et l&#39;allongement. En outre, une gaine tressée extérieure est placée à l&#39;extérieur pour limiter l&#39;expansion radiale vers l&#39;extérieur des chambres fluidiques lorsque pressurisé, optimisant ainsi l&#39;effet de l&#39;actionnement de la chambre dans le mouvement du module (flexion et allongement). Le canal central cylindrique loge un dispositif composé d&#39;une membrane externe rempli de matériau granulaire. Quand une pression de vide est appliqué, il modifie ses propriétés élastiques provoquant une rigidification qui affecte les propriétés de l&#39;ensemble du module. Représentations de mouvement et de rigidité sont commandés par une installation externe comportant un compresseur d&#39;air et trois soupapes de pression d&#39;actionnement des chambres et une pompe à vide pour l&#39;activation de la dépression dans le canal de raidissement. Une interface utilisateur intuitive permet de contrôler actionnement et de vide pressions à l&#39;intérieur du module. Cet article détaille la fabrication processus du module unique de ce manipulateur et rapports les résultats les plus significatifs sur les capacités de mouvement de base. Compte tenu de la nature modulaire de l&#39;appareil, l&#39;appréciation de la fabrication et de la performance d&#39;un seul module simple permet également que les résultats soient étendues et de prédire le comportement de base d&#39;un manipulateur multi-modules intégrant deux ou plusieurs modules.

<table border="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Ecoflex 00-50 Trial Kit</td>
			<td>SmoothOn</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used for the fabrication of the soft unit, combining equal amounts of liquid parts A (the base) and B (the catalyst)</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Latex</td>
			<td>Antichit&#224; Belsito</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used for the fabrication of the granular jamming membrane</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Peroxide-Cured Silicone Tubing</td>
			<td>Cole Parmer</td>
			<td>T-06411-59</td>
			<td>Used for actuating the chambers and applying vacuum</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PET expandable braided sleeving</td>
			<td>RS</td>
			<td>408-249</td>
			<td>Used for the fabrication of the external braided sheath</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Silicone Rubber</td>
			<td>Momentive</td>
			<td>127374</td>
			<td>Used to fix the actuation tubes to the module</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Parafilm</td>
			<td>Cole Parmer</td>
			<td>EW-06720-40</td>
			<td>Used to fix the latex membrane to the vacuum tube</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fume hood Secuflow</td>
			<td>Groupe Waldner</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Working space</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Precision scale</td>
			<td>KERN EW</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to weight silicone, latex and coffee powder</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Oven/degasser</td>
			<td>Heraeus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to degass the silicone and reduce its cure time</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Vacuum pump</td>
			<td>DVP Vacuum Technology</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Used to apply vacuum to the latex membrane</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

design and fabrication of an elastomeric unit for soft modular robots in minimally invasive surgery

Au cours des dernières années, la robotique douces technologies ont suscité un intérêt croissant dans le domaine médical en raison de leur interaction à sécurité intrinsèque dans des environnements non structurés. Dans le même temps, de nouveaux procédés et techniques ont été développées pour réduire le pouvoir envahissant des opérations chirurgicales. Chirurgie minimalement invasive (MIS) a été utilisée avec succès pour les interventions abdominales, des procédures MIS cependant standards sont principalement basées sur les outils rigides ou semi-rigides qui limitent la dextérité du clinicien. Ce document présente un manipulateur agile doux et élevé pour MIS. Le manipulateur a été inspiré par les capacités biologiques du bras de poulpe, et est conçu avec une approche modulaire. Chaque module présente les mêmes caractéristiques fonctionnelles, réalisant ainsi la dextérité et la polyvalence élevée lorsque plusieurs modules sont intégrés. Le document détaille la conception, processus de fabrication et les matériaux nécessaires à l&#39;élaboration d&#39;une seule unité, qui est fabriqué par Casting silicone à l&#39;intérieur de moules spécifiques. Le résultat consiste en un cylindre en élastomère comprenant trois actionneurs pneumatiques souples qui permettent l&#39;allongement et la flexion omnidirectionnelle de l&#39;appareil. Une gaine tressée externe permet d&#39;améliorer le mouvement du module. Au centre de chaque module sur la base d&#39;un mécanisme de blocage-granulaire varier la rigidité de la structure pendant les tâches. Essais démontrent que le module est capable de se courber jusqu&#39;à 120 ° et à allonger jusqu&#39;à 66% de la longueur initiale. Le module génère une force maximale de 47 N, et sa rigidité peut augmenter jusqu&#39;à 36%.

Les différentes phases de la fabrication, décrit dans le protocole, sont illustrés sur la figure 3. Afin d&#39;évaluer l&#39;efficacité de la technique et les résultats du prototype final, le module a été testé dans différentes conditions de travail. Une configuration externe permet de contrôler à la fois l&#39;actionnement et la rigidité du module. Il comprend un compresseur d&#39;air qui active les trois valves. Ils sont reliés à des tubes s...

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Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

This paper describes the design and fabrication of a soft unit for surgical manipulators. The base module includes three flexible fluidic actuators to achieve omnidirectional bending and elongation, and a granular jamming-based mechanism to enable stiffness control. A complete mechanical characterization is also reported.

Conception et fabrication d&#39;une unité élastomère pour Soft robots modulaires en chirurgie mini-invasive

In recent years, soft robotics technologies have aroused increasing interest in the medical field due to their intrinsically safe interaction in ...

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8.9K vues.  Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. This paper describes the design and fabrication of a soft unit for surgical manipulators. The base module includes three flexible fluidic actuators to achieve omnidirectional bending and elongation, and a granular jamming-based mechanism to enable stiffness control. A complete mechanical characterization is also reported. 

Vidéo: Design and Fabrication of an Elastomeric Unit for Soft Modular Robots in Minimally Invasive Surgery

Elastomeric PGS Scaffolds in Arterial Tissue Engineering

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and increasing obesity1. Currently, bypass surgery using autologous vessels, allografts, and synthetic grafts are known as a commonly used for arterial substitutes2. However, these grafts have limited applications when an inner diameter of arteries is less than 6 mm due to low availability, thrombotic complications, compliance mismatch, and late intimal hyperplasia3,4. To overcome these limitations, tissue engineering has been successfully applied as a promising alternative to develop small-diameter arterial constructs that are nonthrombogenic, robust, and compliant. Several previous studies have developed small-diameter arterial constructs with tri-lamellar structure, excellent mechanical properties and burst pressure comparable to native arteries5,6. While high tensile strength and burst pressure by increasing collagen production from a rigid material or cell sheet scaffold, these constructs still had low elastin production and compliance, which is a major problem to cause graft failure after implantation. Considering these issues, we hypothesized that an elastometric biomaterial combined with mechanical conditioning would provide elasticity and conduct mechanical signals more efficiently to vascular cells, which increase extracellular matrix production and support cellular orientation.
The objective of this report is to introduce a fabrication technique of porous tubular scaffolds and a dynamic mechanical conditioning for applying them to arterial tissue engineering. We used a biodegradable elastomer, poly (glycerol sebacate) (PGS)7 for fabricating porous tubular scaffolds from the salt fusion method. Adult primary baboon smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were seeded on the lumen of scaffolds, which cultured in our designed pulsatile flow bioreactor for 3 weeks. PGS scaffolds had consistent thickness and randomly distributed macro- and micro-pores. Mechanical conditioning from pulsatile flow bioreactor supported SMC orientation and enhanced ECM production in scaffolds. These results suggest that elastomeric scaffolds and mechanical conditioning of bioreactor culture may be a promising method for arterial tissue engineering.

Elastomeric PGS scaffolds with vascular smooth muscle cells cultured in a pulsatile flow bioreactor may lead to promising small-diameter arterial constructs with native ECM production in a relatively short culture period.

PGS élastomère échafaudages en génie tissulaire artérielle

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading cause of mortality in the US and especially, coronary artery disease increases with an aging population and ...

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Bio-ingénierie

Polymeric Microneedle Array Fabrication by Photolithography

This manuscript describes the fabrication of polymeric microneedle (MN) arrays by photolithography. It involves a simple mold-free process by using a photomask consisting of embedded micro-lenses. Embedded micro-lenses were found to influence MN geometry (sharpness). Robust MN arrays with tip diameters ranging between 41.5 &#181;m &#177; 8.4 &#181;m and 71.6 &#181;m &#177; 13.7 &#181;m, with two different lengths (1,336 &#181;m &#177; 193 &#181;m and 957 &#181;m &#177; 171 &#181;m) were fabricated. These MN arrays may provide potential applications in delivery of low molecular and macromolecular therapeutic agents through skin.

Here, we present a protocol describing a mold-free fabrication process of the polymeric microneedles by photolithography.

Polymère Microneedle tableau Fabrication par photolithographie

This manuscript describes the fabrication of polymeric microneedle (MN) arrays by photolithography. It involves a simple mold-free process by using a ...

Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation

Soft compliant gripping is essential in delicate surgical manipulation for minimizing the risk of tissue grip damage caused by high stress concentrations at the point of contact. It can be achieved by complementing traditional rigid grippers with soft robotic pneumatic gripper devices. This manuscript describes a rod-based approach that combined both 3D-printing and a modified soft lithography technique to fabricate the soft pneumatic gripper. In brief, the pneumatic featureless mold with chamber component is 3D-printed and the rods were used to create the pneumatic channels that connect to the chamber. This protocol eliminates the risk of channels occluding during the sealing process and the need for external air source or related control circuit. The soft gripper consists of a chamber filled with air, and one or more gripper arms with a pneumatic channel in each arm connected to the chamber. The pneumatic channel is positioned close to the outer wall to create different stiffness in the gripper arm. Upon compression of the chamber which generates pressure on the pneumatic channel, the gripper arm will bend inward to form a close grip posture because the outer wall area is more compliant. The soft gripper can be inserted into a 3D-printed handling tool with two different control modes for chamber compression: manual gripper mode with a movable piston, and robotic gripper mode with a linear actuator. The double-arm gripper with two actuatable arms was able to pick up objects of sizes up to 2 mm and yet generate lower compressive forces as compared to elastomer-coated and non-coated rigid grippers. The feasibility of having other designs, such as single-arm or hook gripper, was also demonstrated, which further highlighted the customizability of the soft gripper device, and it's potential to be used in delicate surgical manipulation to reduce the risk of tissue grip damage.

This protocol describes a rod-based approach, combining 3D-printing and soft lithography techniques for fabricating the soft gripper devices. This approach eliminates the need for an external air source by incorporating a chamber component and reduces the chance of occlusion during the sealing process, particularly for miniaturized pneumatic channels.

Fabrication à base de Rod personnalisables souples Robotic pneumatiques Dispositifs Gripper pour la manipulation des tissus Délicat

Soft compliant gripping is essential in delicate surgical manipulation for minimizing the risk of tissue grip damage caused by high stress concentrations ...

Automated Robotic Liquid Handling Assembly of Modular DNA Devices

Recent advances in modular DNA assembly techniques have enabled synthetic biologists to test significantly more of the available &#34;design space&#34; represented by &#34;devices&#34; created as combinations of individual genetic components. However, manual assembly of such large numbers of devices is time-intensive, error-prone, and costly. The increasing sophistication and scale of synthetic biology research necessitates an efficient, reproducible way to accommodate large-scale, complex, and high throughput device construction.
Here, a DNA assembly protocol using the Type-IIS restriction endonuclease based Modular Cloning (MoClo) technique is automated on two liquid-handling robotic platforms. Automated liquid-handling robots require careful, often times tedious optimization of pipetting parameters for liquids of different viscosities (e.g. enzymes, DNA, water, buffers), as well as explicit programming to ensure correct aspiration and dispensing of DNA parts and reagents. This makes manual script writing for complex assemblies just as problematic as manual DNA assembly, and necessitates a software tool that can automate script generation. To this end, we have developed a web-based software tool, http://mocloassembly.com, for generating combinatorial DNA device libraries from basic DNA parts uploaded as Genbank files. We provide access to the tool, and an export file from our liquid handler software which includes optimized liquid classes, labware parameters, and deck layout. All DNA parts used are available through Addgene, and their digital maps can be accessed via the Boston University BDC ICE Registry. Together, these elements provide a foundation for other organizations to automate modular cloning experiments and similar protocols.
The automated DNA assembly workflow presented here enables the repeatable, automated, high-throughput production of DNA devices, and reduces the risk of human error arising from repetitive manual pipetting. Sequencing data show the automated DNA assembly reactions generated from this workflow are ~95% correct and require as little as 4% as much hands-on time, compared to manual reaction preparation.

Here, an automated workflow to perform modular DNA &#34;device&#34; assembly using a modular cloning DNA assembly method on liquid-handling robots is presented. The protocol uses an intuitive software tool for generating liquid handler picklists for combinatorial DNA device library generation, which we demonstrate using two liquid handling platforms.

Automatisé de robotique Liquid Handling assemblage de dispositifs modulaires ADN

Recent advances in modular DNA assembly techniques have enabled synthetic biologists to test significantly more of the available &#34;design space&#34; ...

Biomechanical Characterization of Human Soft Tissues Using Indentation and Tensile Testing

Regenerative medicine aims to engineer materials to replace or restore damaged or diseased organs. The mechanical properties of such materials should mimic the human tissues they are aiming to replace; to provide the required anatomical shape, the materials must be able to sustain the mechanical forces they will experience when implanted at the defect site. Although the mechanical properties of tissue-engineered scaffolds are of great importance, many human tissues that undergo restoration with engineered materials have not been fully biomechanically characterized. Several compressive and tensile protocols are reported for evaluating materials, but with large variability it is difficult to compare results between studies. Further complicating the studies is the often destructive nature of mechanical testing. Whilst an understanding of tissue failure is important, it is also important to have knowledge of the elastic and viscoelastic properties under more physiological loading conditions.
This report aims to provide a minimally destructive protocol to evaluate the compressive and tensile properties of human soft tissues. As examples of this technique, the tensile testing of skin and the compressive testing of cartilage are described. These protocols can also be directly applied to synthetic materials to ensure that the mechanical properties are similar to the native tissue. Protocols to assess the mechanical properties of human native tissue will allow a benchmark by which to create suitable tissue-engineered substitutes.

Tissue biomechanics is important for maintaining cell shape and function and for determining phenotype. This report demonstrates non-destructive mechanical protocols for characterizing elastic and viscoelastic properties of human soft tissues, which can be directly applied to tissue-engineered substrates to allow a close matching of engineered materials to native tissue.

Caractérisation biomécanique des tissus mous humains à l&#39;aide d&#39;essais indentation et traction

Regenerative medicine aims to engineer materials to replace or restore damaged or diseased organs. The mechanical properties of such materials should ...

An In Vitro Organ Culture Model of the Murine Intervertebral Disc

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a significant contributor to low back pain. The IVD is a fibrocartilaginous joint that serves to transmit and dampen loads in the spine. The IVD consists of a proteoglycan-rich nucleus pulposus (NP) and a collagen-rich annulus fibrosis (AF) sandwiched by cartilaginous end-plates. Together with the adjacent vertebrae, the vertebrae-IVD structure forms a functional spine unit (FSU). These microstructures contain unique cell types as well as unique extracellular matrices. Whole organ culture of the FSU preserves the native extracellular matrix, cell differentiation phenotypes, and cellular-matrix interactions. Thus, organ culture techniques are particularly useful for investigating the complex biological mechanisms of the IVD. Here, we describe a high-throughput approach for culturing whole lumbar mouse FSUs that provides an ideal platform for studying disease mechanisms and therapies for the IVD. Furthermore, we describe several applications that utilize this organ culture method to conduct further studies including contrast-enhanced microCT imaging and three-dimensional high-resolution finite element modeling of the IVD.

An In Vitro Organ Culture Model of the Murine Intervertebral Disc

Whole organ culture of the intervertebral disc (IVD) preserves the native extracellular matrix, cell phenotypes, and cellular-matrix interactions. Here we describe an IVD culture system using mouse lumbar and caudal IVDs in their functional spinal units and several applications utilizing this system.

Un<em&gt; In vitro</em&gt; Orgue Culture Modèle de la murine disque intervertébral

Intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration is a significant contributor to low back pain. The IVD is a fibrocartilaginous joint that serves to transmit and ...

A Novel Surgical Technique As a Foundation for In Vivo Partial Liver Engineering in Rat

Organ engineering is a novel strategy to generate liver organ substitutes that can potentially be used in transplantation. Recently, in vivo liver engineering, including in vivo organ decellularization followed by repopulation, has emerged as a promising approach over ex vivo liver engineering. However, postoperative survival was not achieved. The aim of this study is to develop a novel surgical technique of in vivo selective liver lobe perfusion in rats as a prerequisite for in vivo liver engineering. We generate a circuit bypass only through the left lateral lobe. Then, the left lateral lobe is perfused with heparinized saline. The experiment is performed with 4 groups (n = 3 rats per group) based on different perfusion times of 20 min, 2 h, 3 h, and 4 h. Survival, as well as the macroscopically visible change of color and the histologically determined absence of blood cells in the portal triad and the sinusoids, is taken as an indicator for a successful model establishment. After selective perfusion of the left lateral lobe, we observe that the left lateral lobe, indeed, turned from red to faint yellow. In a histological assessment, no blood cells are visible in the branch of the portal vein, the central vein, and the sinusoids. The left lateral lobe turns red after reopening the blocked vessels. 12/12 rats survived the procedure for more than one week. We are the first to report a surgical model for in vivo single liver lobe perfusion with a long survival period of more than one week. In contrast to the previously published report, the most important advantage of the technique presented here is that perfusion of 70% of the liver is maintained throughout the whole procedure. The establishment of this technique provides a foundation for in vivo partial liver engineering in rats, including decellularization and recellularization.

A Novel Surgical Technique As a Foundation for In Vivo Partial Liver Engineering in Rat

We establish a novel surgical technique for an in vivo single liver lobe perfusion model in rat as a prerequisite for further studying in vivo partial liver engineering in the future.

Une nouvelle Technique chirurgicale comme fondement pour In Vivo partielle génie hépatique chez le Rat

Organ engineering is a novel strategy to generate liver organ substitutes that can potentially be used in transplantation. Recently, in vivo liver ...

Bioinspired Soft Robot with Incorporated Microelectrodes

Bioinspired soft robotic systems that mimic living organisms using engineered muscle tissue and biomaterials are revolutionizing the current biorobotics paradigm, especially in biomedical research. Recreating artificial life-like actuation dynamics is crucial for a soft-robotic system. However, the precise control and tuning of actuation behavior still represents one of the main challenges of modern soft robotic systems. This method describes a low-cost, highly scalable, and easy-to-use procedure to fabricate an electrically controllable soft robot with life-like movements that is activated and controlled by the contraction of cardiac muscle tissue on a micropatterned sting ray-like hydrogel scaffold. The use of soft photolithography methods makes it possible to successfully integrate multiple components in the soft robotic system, including micropatterned hydrogel-based scaffolds with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) embedded gelatin methacryloyl (CNT-GelMA), poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA), flexible gold (Au) microelectrodes, and cardiac muscle tissue. In particular, the hydrogels alignment and micropattern are designed to mimic the muscle and cartilage structure of the sting ray. The electrically conductive CNT-GelMA hydrogel acts as a cell scaffold that improves the maturation and contraction behavior of cardiomyocytes, while the mechanically robust PEGDA hydrogel provides structural cartilage-like support to the whole soft robot. To overcome the hard and brittle nature of metal-based microelectrodes, we designed a serpentine pattern that has high flexibility and can avoid hampering the beating dynamics of cardiomyocytes. The incorporated flexible Au microelectrodes provide electrical stimulation across the soft robot, making it easier to control the contraction behavior of cardiac tissue.

A bioinspired scaffold is fabricated by a soft photolithography technique using mechanically robust and electrically conductive hydrogels. The micropatterned hydrogels provide directional cardiomyocyte cell alignment, resulting in a tailored direction of actuation. Flexible microelectrodes are also integrated into the scaffold to bring electrical controllability for a self-actuating cardiac tissue.

Robot doux bioinspiré avec microélectrodes incorporées

Bioinspired soft robotic systems that mimic living organisms using engineered muscle tissue and biomaterials are revolutionizing the current biorobotics ...

Simple, Affordable, and Modular Patterning of Cells using DNA

The relative positioning of cells is a key feature of the microenvironment that organizes cell-cell interactions. To study the interactions between cells of the same or different type, micropatterning techniques have proved useful. DNA Programmed Assembly of Cells (DPAC) is a micropatterning technique that targets the adhesion of cells to a substrate or other cells using DNA hybridization. The most basic operations in DPAC begin with decorating cell membranes with lipid-modified oligonucleotides, then flowing them over a substrate that has been patterned with complementary DNA sequences. Cells adhere selectively to the substrate only where they find a complementary DNA sequence. Non-adherent cells are washed away, revealing a pattern of adherent cells. Additional operations include further rounds of cell-substrate or cell-cell adhesion, as well as transferring the patterns formed by DPAC to an embedding hydrogel for long-term culture. Previously, methods for patterning oligonucleotides on surfaces and decorating cells with DNA sequences required specialized equipment and custom DNA synthesis, respectively. We report an updated version of the protocol, utilizing an inexpensive benchtop photolithography setup and commercially available cholesterol modified oligonucleotides (CMOs) deployed using a modular format. CMO-labeled cells adhere with high efficiency to DNA-patterned substrates. This approach can be used to pattern multiple cell types at once with high precision and to create arrays of microtissues embedded within an extracellular matrix. Advantages of this method include its high resolution, ability to embed cells into a three-dimensional microenvironment without disrupting the micropattern, and flexibility in patterning any cell type.

Here we present a protocol to micropattern cells at single-cell resolution using DNA-programmed adhesion. This protocol uses a benchtop photolithography platform to create patterns of DNA oligonucleotides on a glass slide and then labels cell membranes with commercially available complementary oligonucleotides. Hybridization of the oligos results in programmed cell adhesion.

Modélisation simple, abordable et modulaire des cellules à l’aide de l’ADN

The relative positioning of cells is a key feature of the microenvironment that organizes cell-cell interactions. To study the interactions between cells ...

Voxel Printing Anatomy: Design and Fabrication of Realistic, Presurgical Planning Models through Bitmap Printing

Most applications of 3-dimensional (3D) printing for presurgical planning have been limited to bony structures and simple morphological descriptions of complex organs due to the fundamental limitations in accuracy, quality, and efficiency of the current modeling paradigm. This has largely ignored the soft tissue critical to most surgical specialties where the interior of an object matters and anatomical boundaries transition gradually. Therefore, the needs of the biomedical industry to replicate human tissue, which displays multiple scales of organization and varying material distributions, necessitate new forms of representation. 
Presented here is a novel technique to create 3D models directly from medical images, which are superior in spatial and contrast resolution to current 3D modeling methods and contain previously unachievable spatial fidelity and soft tissue differentiation. Also presented are empirical measurements of novel, additively manufactured composites that span the gamut of material stiffnesses seen in soft biological tissues from MRI and CT. These unique volumetric design and printing methods allow for deterministic and continuous adjustment of material stiffness and color. This capability enables an entirely new application of additive manufacturing to presurgical planning: mechanical realism. As a natural complement to existing models that provide appearance matching, these new models also allow medical professionals to "feel" the spatially varying material properties of a tissue simulant-a critical addition to a field in which tactile sensation plays a key role.

This method demonstrates a voxel-based 3D printing workflow, which prints directly from medical images with exact spatial fidelity and spatial/contrast resolution. This enables the precise, graduated control of material distributions through morphologically complex, graduated materials correlated to radiodensity without loss or alteration of data.

Voxel Printing Anatomy: Conception et fabrication de modèles de planification réalistes et préchirurgicaux grâce à l’impression bitmap

Most applications of 3-dimensional (3D) printing for presurgical planning have been limited to bony structures and simple morphological descriptions of ...