Investigating the Life Expectancy and Proteolytic Degradation of Engineered Skeletal Muscle Biological Machines.

ABSTRACT: A combination of techniques from 3D printing, tissue engineering and biomaterials has yielded a new class of engineered biological robots that could be reliably controlled via applied signals. These machines are powered by a muscle strip composed of differentiated skeletal myofibers in a matrix of natural proteins, including fibrin, that provide physical support and cues to the cells as an engineered basement membrane. However, maintaining consistent results becomes challenging when sustaining a living system in vitro. Skeletal muscle must be preserved in a differentiated state and the system is subject to degradation by proteolytic enzymes that can break down its mechanical integrity. Here we examine the life expectancy, breakdown, and device failure of engineered skeletal muscle bio-bots

SUBMITTER: Cvetkovic C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5476614 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature