An FeGa@P(VDF-TrFE) wire-shaped magnetoelectric nanorobot is designed and fabricated to demonstrate a proof-of-concept integrated device, which features wireless locomotion and on-site triggered therapeutics with a single external power source (i.e., a magnetic field). The device can be precisely steered toward a targeted location wirelessly by rotating magnetic fields and perform on-demand magnetoelectrically assisted drug release to kill cancer cells.

Hybrid helical magnetic microrobots are achieved by sequential electrodeposition of a CoNi alloy and PPy inside a photoresist template patterned by 3D laser lithography. A controlled actuation of the microrobots by a rotating magnetic field is demonstrated in a fluidic environment.

Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapies demonstrate particular promise in ameliorating diseases of immune dysregulation but are hampered by short in vivo cell persistence and inconsistencies in phenotype. Here, we demonstrate that biomaterial encapsulation into alginate using a microfluidic device could substantially increase in vivo MSC persistence after intravenous (i.v.) injection. A combination of cell cluster formation and subsequent cross-linking with polylysine led to an increase in injected MSC half-life by more than an order of magnitude. These modifications extended persistence even in the presence of innate and adaptive immunity-mediated clearance. Licensing of encapsulated MSCs with inflammatory cytokine pretransplantation increased expression of immunomodulatory-associated genes, and licensed encapsulates promoted repopulation of recipient blood and bone marrow with allogeneic donor cells after sublethal irradiation by a ∼2-fold increase. The ability of microgel encapsulation to sustain MSC survival and increase overall immunomodulatory capacity may be applicable for improving MSC therapies in general.

The behavior of phagocytes to capture intruders is tracked using remotely rotated and translated nanoparticles.

Active biomaterials offer novel approaches to study mechanotransduction in mammalian cells. These material systems can either modulate the resistance cells sense to endogenous forces or apply exogenous forces on cells in a temporally controlled manner. The ability to dynamically control the mechanical cues cells receive allows one to mimic various aspects of the native microenvironment. The implementation of active biomaterials in mechanobiology has generated valuable insight relevant to a variety of biological processes including but not limited to stem cell lineage commitment, disease progression, and tissue regeneration. The field is rapidly evolving as emerging technologies and materials are introduced and will continue to develop in the near future.

We present a methodology for building biologically inspired, soft microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.

In this paper, we report on the synthesis of FeCo/Cu multisegmented nanowires by means of pulse electrodeposition in nanoporous anodic aluminum oxide arrays supported on silicon chips.By adjusting the electrodeposition conditions, such as the pulse scheme and the electrolyte, alternating segments of Cu and ferromagnetic FeCo alloy can be fabricated. The segments can be built with a wide range of lengths (15 -150 nm) and exhibit a close-to-pure composition (Cu or FeCo alloy) as suggested by EDX mapping results. The morphology and the crystallographic structure of different nanowire configurations have been assessed thoroughly concluding that Fe, Co and Cu form solid solution. Magnetic characterization using vibrating sample magnetometry and magnetic force microscopy reveals that by introducing non-magnetic Cu segments within the nanowire architecture, the magnetic easy axis can be modified and the reduced remanence can be tuned to the desired values. The experimental results are in agreement with the provided simulations. Furthermore, the influence of nanowire magnetic architecture on the magnetically triggered protein desorption is evaluated for three types of nanowires: Cu, FeCo and multisegmented FeCo15 nm/Cu15 nm. The application of an external magnetic field can be used to enhance the release of proteins on-demand. For fully magnetic FeCo nanowires the applied oscillating field increased protein release by 83%, whereas this was found to be 45% for multisegmented FeCo15 nm/Cu15 nm nanowires. Our work suggests that a combination of arrays of nanowires with different magnetic configurations could be used to generate complex substance concentration gradients or control delivery of multiple drugs and macromolecules.

A mechanically active microgel platform for single cell mechanobiology is presented. Optically triggered nanoactuators generate isotropic compression in 3D microgels, leading to reversible and mechanosensitive calcium signaling in encapsulated MSCs.