Soft magneto-responsive biological substrates to open new avenues in mechanobiology
Current research in biomechanics and mechanobiology faces critical limitations to control the mechanical environment (i.e. deformation, stiffness) of biological systems. A significant limitation exists in the real-time control and remote actuation of the mechanical environment. We present a novel experimental framework to modulate the mechanical properties of cell substrates using magnetorheological elastomers (MRE) and magneto-responsive hydrogels. We demonstrated reversible mechanical changes in substrates of more than one order of magnitude in stiffness and large local deformations (>30%). In parallel, we developed a multiscale computational model to guide the experimental testing. The whole experimental-computational framework is coupled to a customised imaging system for live cellular assays that allows for magneto-mechanical stimulation in real time. In addition, we coupled the system to nanoindentation instruments to enable the measurement of local changes in cellular mechanical properties during substrate deformation. Finally, the complete system is used to study the response of astrocytes to mechanical deformation by means of dynamic changes in morphology, stiffness and functional responses. Other applications of the system also allow for studying cell-extracellular matrix interactions under evolving mechanical scenarios or adapting the methods to tissue samples. These results offer direct benefits for health purposes by paving the path to models to simulate dynamic mechanistic-mediated biological processes as well as testing and design of new therapeutics.
Related works:
- Gomez-Cruz C, Fernandez-de la Torre M […] Garcia-Gonzalez D. Mechanical and functional responses in astrocytes under alternating deformation modes using magneto-active substrates. Adv Mater 2024/36:e2312497. DOI: 10.1002/adma.202312497
- Garcia-Gonzalez D, Raman R, Schuerle S, Tay A. Magnetic actuation for mechanomedicine. Adv Intell Syst 2025/2400638. DOI: 10.1002/aisy.202400638
- Gonzalez-Rico J, Garzon-Hernandez S, Landis CM, Garcia-Gonzalez D. Magneto-mechanically derived diffusion processes in ultra-soft biological hydrogels. J Mech Phys Solids 2024/192:105791. DOI: 10.1016/j.jmps.2024.105791
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