Biohybrid valveless pump-bot powered by engineered skeletal muscle

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Soft Robotics
• Biohybrid Systems

Background:

• The embryonic heart functions as a valveless pump, crucial for early development.
• Existing microfluidic pumps often lack efficiency or require complex valve mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biohybrid valveless pump-bot inspired by the embryonic heart.
• To utilize engineered skeletal muscle for driving fluid flow in a soft robotic device.

Main Methods:

• Constructed a pump-bot with a soft hydrogel tube and stiffer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) scaffold for impedance mismatch.
• Integrated a contractile skeletal muscle ring around the hydrogel tube at an off-center location.
• Utilized cyclic muscle contractions to generate elastic waves and unidirectional fluid flow.

Main Results:

• Achieved flow rates up to 22.5 μL/min, significantly higher than cardiomyocyte-powered pumps.
• Demonstrated unidirectional flow generation irrespective of tube buckling due to asymmetric muscle placement and wave reflection.
• The biohybrid pump exhibited robustness and ease of fabrication.

Conclusions:

• The developed muscle-powered pump-bot offers a promising alternative to conventional microfluidic pumps.
• Its high performance and simple design make it suitable for diverse biomedical applications, including drug delivery and microfluidics.
• This biohybrid approach represents a significant advancement in soft robotics for biomedical engineering.