Self-Folding Single Cell Grippers

Abstract

Given the heterogeneous nature of cultures, tumors, and tissues, the ability to capture, contain, and analyze single cells is important for genomics, proteomics, diagnostics, therapeutics, and surgery. Moreover, for surgical applications in small conduits in the body such as in the cardiovascular system, there is a need for tiny tools that approach the size of the single red blood cells that traverse the blood vessels and capillaries. We describe the fabrication of arrayed or untethered single cell grippers composed of biocompatible and bioresorbable silicon monoxide and silicon dioxide. The energy required to actuate these grippers is derived from the release of residual stress in 3–27 nm thick films, did not require any wires, tethers, or batteries, and resulted in folding angles over 100° with folding radii as small as 765 nm. We developed and applied a finite element model to predict these folding angles. Finally, we demonstrated the capture of live mouse fibroblast cells in an array of grippers and individual red blood cells in untethered grippers which could be released from the substrate to illustrate the potential utility for in vivo operations.

A Micropatterned Multielectrode Shell for 3D Spatiotemporal Recording from Live Cells

“…Microscale grippers have previously been fabricated to facilitate encapsulation and optical analysis of single cells 30. These grippers have demonstrated biocompatibility for long‐term live cell studies and capability of precise analysis at the single cell level.…”

Biomimetic Microelectronics for Regenerative Neuronal Cuff Implants

“…[ 4,5 ] Mimicking the mechanics of the plant cell swelling process in osmosis, the shape of soft objects can be tailored by using stimuli-responsive polymers. [ 6 ] In hydrogel composites, [ 7 ] a reversible shape transformation including elongation, twisting, or folding [ 8 ] is achieved upon external chemical or thermal stimulation rendering these biomimetic devices to be mechanically active. Although mechanically adaptive to the environment, these soft actuators do not carry active electronics to assess and communicate the environmental changes.…”

The Next-Generation Surgical Robots

“…A series of self-folding grippers have been demonstrated in Refs. [134][135][136] with a variety of materials, shapes, and sizes, mostly targeted at single-cell manipulation. Techniques such as photolithography, electron-beam lithography, and soft lithography have been used to precisely patern two-dimensional sheets of materials, namely metals, semiconductors, and polymeric ilms.…”