Biohybrid of elastic film and muscle cells packs a punch

In an innovative marriage of living cells and a synthetic substrate, bioengineers at Harvard University have found that a rubberlike, elastic film coated with a single layer of cardiac muscle cells can semi-autonomously engage in lifelike gripping, pumping, walking, and swimming. The tissue engineering feat was reported in the Sept. 7 issue of the journal Science.

The researchers, led by Kevin Kit Parker and Adam W. Feinberg, report that the exact movement undertaken by these hybrid muscular thin films (MTFs) can be tailored by controlling muscle alignment relative to the shape of the flexible film. Some of the MTFs even contract spontaneously, an intrinsic property of cardiac muscle that allows the devices to move around without user intervention.

“These MTFs can be thought of as soft robotic devices, or interchangeable machine parts made of cardiac muscle cells,” says Parker, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. “With their thin polymer backing, they are uniquely durable and provide high specific force with good power and excellent spatial and temporal control.”