Phototactic guidance of a tissue-engineered soft-robotic ray.

Journal: Science (New York, N.Y.)
Published Date: Jul 8, 2016

Abstract

Inspired by the relatively simple morphological blueprint provided by batoid fish such as stingrays and skates, we created a biohybrid system that enables an artificial animal--a tissue-engineered ray--to swim and phototactically follow a light cue. By patterning dissociated rat cardiomyocytes on an elastomeric body enclosing a microfabricated gold skeleton, we replicated fish morphology at 1/10 scale and captured basic fin deflection patterns of batoid fish. Optogenetics allows for phototactic guidance, steering, and turning maneuvers. Optical stimulation induced sequential muscle activation via serpentine-patterned muscle circuits, leading to coordinated undulatory swimming. The speed and direction of the ray was controlled by modulating light frequency and by independently eliciting right and left fins, allowing the biohybrid machine to maneuver through an obstacle course.

Authors

  • Sung-Jin Park
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Mattia Gazzola
    John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Kyung Soo Park
    Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Korea. Sogang-Harvard Research Center for Disease Biophysics, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Korea.
  • Shirley Park
    Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
  • Valentina Di Santo
    Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Erin L Blevins
    Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Johan U Lind
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Patrick H Campbell
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Stephanie Dauth
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Andrew K Capulli
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Francesco S Pasqualini
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Seungkuk Ahn
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Alexander Cho
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Hongyan Yuan
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Ben M Maoz
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
  • Ragu Vijaykumar
    Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
  • Jeong-Woo Choi
    Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Korea. Sogang-Harvard Research Center for Disease Biophysics, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Korea.
  • Karl Deisseroth
    Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
  • George V Lauder
    Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138; email: glauder@oeb.harvard.edu.
  • L Mahadevan
    John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Physics, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Kavli Institute for Nanobio Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138S, USA.
  • Kevin Kit Parker
    Disease Biophysics Group, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. Sogang-Harvard Research Center for Disease Biophysics, Sogang University, Seoul 121-742, Korea. kkparker@seas.harvard.edu.

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