Remotely Controlled in Situ Growth of Silver Microwires Forming Bioelectronic Interfaces

There is a pressing need to advance our ability to construct three-dimensional (3D) functional bioelectronic interfaces. Additionally, to ease the transition to building cellular electronic systems, a remote approach to merge electrical components with biology is desirable. By combining 3D digital inkjet printing with bipolar electrochemistry, we remotely control and fabricate conductive wires, forming a first of its kind contactless bionic manufacturing procedure. It enables controlled fabrication of conductive wires in a three-dimensional configuration. Moreover, we demonstrate that this technology could be used to grow and interface conductive conduits in situ with mammalian cells, offering a new strategy to engineering bioelectronic interfaces. This represents a step change in the production of functional complex circuitry and considerably increases the manufacturing capabilities of merging cells with electronics. This approach provides a platform to construct bioelectronics in situ offering a potential paradigm shift in the methods for building bioelectronics with potential applications in biosensing and bioelectronic medicine

Multifunctional Bioinstructive 3D Architectures to Modulate Cellular Behavior

Biological structures control cell behavior via physical, chemical, electrical, and mechanical cues. Approaches that allow us to build devices that mimic these cues in a combinatorial way are lacking due to there being no suitable instructive materials and limited manufacturing procedures. This challenge is addressed by developing a new conductive composite material, allowing for the fabrication of 3D biomimetic structures in a single manufacturing method based on two-photon polymerization. The approach induces a combinatorial biostimulative input that can be tailored to a specific application. Development of the 3D architecture is performed with a chemically actuating photocurable acrylate previously identified for cardiomyocyte attachment. The material is made conductive by impregnation with multiwalled carbon nanotubes. The bioinstructive effect of 3D nano- and microtopography is combined with electrical stimulation, incorporating biochemical, and electromechanical cues to stimulate cells in serum-free media. The manufactured architecture is combined with cardiomyocytes derived from human pluripotent stem cells. It is demonstrated that by mimicking biological occurring cues, cardiomyocyte behavior can be modulated. This represents a step change in the ability to manufacture 3D multifunctional biomimetic modulatory architectures. This platform technology has implications in areas spanning regenerative medicine, tissue engineering to biosensing, and may lead to more accurate models for predicting toxicity