Simulating muscular thin films using thermal contraction capabilities in finite element analysis tools.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Computational Biology
• Materials Science

Background:

• Modeling biohybrid devices often relies on simulating individual cell forces, leading to lengthy computational runtimes.
• Efficient simulation techniques are crucial for the rapid design and optimization of biohybrid devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the use of thermal contraction as a faster alternative for modeling cellular contractile properties in biohybrid devices.
• To explore and calibrate methods for approximating cellular contraction using thermal contraction models.

Main Methods:

• Developed and compared three techniques (Stoney's Approximation, Modified Stoney's Approximation, Thermostat Model) for calibrating thermal expansion/contraction parameters (TECPs).
• Utilized published data from muscular thin films (MTFs) and cardiomyocyte MTFs for TECP calibration.
• Performed sensitivity analyses to understand the impact of variables like elastic modulus and layer thickness on TECP calibration.

Main Results:

• The thermal contraction model demonstrated significantly faster simulation runtimes compared to models using individual cell forces.
• Calibrated TECP values were determined, enabling accurate approximation of experimental deflections in MTFs.
• The validated TECP calibration techniques were applied to two non-MTF biohybrid device models.

Conclusions:

• Thermal contraction modeling offers a computationally efficient approach for simulating cellular contractile properties in biohybrid devices.
• The developed calibration techniques provide a reliable method for determining TECPs using experimental data.
• The findings are applicable to a broader range of biohybrid devices, facilitating faster development cycles.