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Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Origami Inspired Self-assembly of Patterned and Reconfigurable Particles

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Published on: February 4, 2013

Self-folding single cell grippers.

Kate Malachowski¹, Mustapha Jamal, Qianru Jin

¹Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University , 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Maryland 21218, United States.

|June 18, 2014

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed tiny, self-actuating grippers for single-cell analysis and surgery. These biocompatible devices can capture and release individual cells, paving the way for minimally invasive applications in the cardiovascular system.

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Published on: April 8, 2022

Area of Science:

Biomedical Engineering
Nanotechnology
Cell Biology

Background:

Single-cell analysis is crucial for understanding biological processes and disease.
Current technologies face limitations in miniaturization for in vivo applications, especially in delicate systems like blood vessels.
There is a need for advanced tools capable of manipulating individual cells within confined biological spaces.

Purpose of the Study:

To fabricate and characterize novel, untethered single-cell grippers.
To explore the potential of these grippers for minimally invasive cell capture and release.
To demonstrate the utility of these grippers for biological and surgical applications.

Main Methods:

Fabrication of arrayed and untethered single-cell grippers using biocompatible silicon monoxide and silicon dioxide films.
Utilizing residual stress in thin films (3-27 nm) for gripper actuation, eliminating the need for external power sources.
Development and application of a finite element model to predict gripper folding angles.
Demonstration of live mouse fibroblast and red blood cell capture and release.

Main Results:

Successfully fabricated grippers with folding angles over 100° and radii as small as 765 nm.
Actuation energy derived from residual stress in thin films, enabling wire-free and tether-free operation.
Demonstrated successful capture of live mouse fibroblast cells in arrays.
Showcased capture and release of individual red blood cells using untethered grippers.

Conclusions:

The developed single-cell grippers are a significant advancement for cellular manipulation in micro- and nano-scale environments.
Their biocompatible and bioresorbable nature, combined with self-actuation, offers promising potential for in vivo diagnostics and therapeutics.
These grippers represent a key step towards realizing minimally invasive surgical interventions at the cellular level.