Biohybrid robotics combining microdevices and cultured tissue

Abstract

Our researches aim to develop biohybrid system with functional cellular tissues and artificial devices by the integration of microfabrication and microfluidic techniques with biological techniques. The developed biohybrid system is applicable in a wide range of fields, from biotechnology and medicine such as in vitro cellular models for biological studies and drug development without laboratory animals, to robots and sensors using the sensory and motor functions unique to living organisms. To form functional tissues, we have shown that cellular beads and fibers can be used as building modules for in vitro tissue construction. Furthermore, as a demonstration of the biohybrid system using functional cultured tissues, we developed a biohybrid robot with a pair of antagonistic skeletal muscle tissues and a biohybrid sensor with sensor cells expressing olfactory receptors. In this presentation, we will introduce cultured tissues fabricated by in vitro 3D cell culture and biohybrid systems usable cellular functions by integrating cultured tissues and devices.