Handle with Care: Mobile Microgrippers Pick up Cells in a Pinch

Handle with care: Mobile microgrippers pick up cells in a pinch

In tissue engineering, the tiniest bit of improper force can harm a living culture. Spheroids—3D clumps of cells—can be used to model complex human tissues, because they can re-create specific cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions. But these spheroids are also fragile, and common techniques of moving them manually via suction can easily damage them.

Delicate Touch: Mobile Microgrippers Gently Capture Cells with Precision

In the rapidly evolving field of tissue engineering, precision and delicacy are paramount. The construction of complex human tissues from cellular building blocks depends heavily on manipulating delicate cell structures known as spheroids. These spherical clusters of cells mimic the intricate cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions found in real tissues, enabling advanced modeling of biological systems. […]

Force-Sensing Mobile Microgrippers for Gentle Bioassembly of Spheroids

Spheroids can be useful to model complex human tissues because they can re-create specific cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions. But spheroids are fragile, and common techniques for moving them manually—via suction—can easily damage them. In tissue engineering, the tiniest bit of improper force can harm a living culture. Now, a force-sensing miniature robot—a mobile microgripper (MMG)—has been developed that can handle spheroids with car…