Design and Preliminary Implementation of an Air Microfluidics Enabled Soft Robotic Knee Brace Towards the Management of Osteoarthritis

Gao, Run Ze; Marriott, Kendal; Dickerson, Clark R.; Maly, Monica R.; Ren, Carolyn L.

doi:10.1109/embc44109.2020.9175677

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

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“…In an instance, Gao et al designed a dynamic, low-key discharge-type tibia femur model by integrating microflow control technology. 107 The concentration gradient between tissue was the key to cell metabolism, and the ordinary model could not cope with complex physiological changes. The use of microfluidic chips to culture horse chondrocytes established a physiological nutrient diffusion gradient simulation mechanism and quickly and efficiently formed knee cartilage tissue.…”

Section: Microengineering Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Engineered Three-Dimensional (3D) Body Articulation Unit Models

Chen¹,

Y²,

SC³

et al. 2022

DDDT

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Indeed, the body articulation units, commonly referred to as body joints, play significant roles in the musculoskeletal system, enabling body flexibility. Nevertheless, these articulation units suffer from several pathological conditions, such as osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis, gout, and psoriatic arthritis. There exist several treatment modalities based on the utilization of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs, which can reduce or control the pathophysiological symptoms. Despite the success, these treatment modalities suffer from major shortcomings of enormous cost and poor recovery, limiting their applicability and requiring promising strategies. To address these limitations, several engineering strategies have been emerged as promising solutions in fabricating the body articulation as unit models towards local articulation repair for tissue regeneration and high-throughput screening for drug development. In this article, we present challenges related to the selection of biomaterials (natural and synthetic sources), construction of 3D articulation models (scaffold-free, scaffold-based, and organ-on-a-chip), architectural designs (microfluidics, bioprinting, electrospinning, and biomineralization), and the type of culture conditions (growth factors and active peptides). Then, we emphasize the applicability of these articulation units for emerging biomedical applications of drug screening and tissue repair/regeneration. In conclusion, we put forward the challenges and difficulties for the further clinical application of the in vitro 3D articulation unit models in terms of the long-term high activity of the models.

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Section: Microengineering Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advances in Engineered Three-Dimensional (3D) Body Articulation Unit Models

Chen¹,

Y²,

SC³

et al. 2022

DDDT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Synergizing microfluidics with soft robotics: A perspective on miniaturization and future directions

Gao

Ren

2021

Biomicrofluidics

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Soft robotics has gone through a decade of tremendous progress in advancing both fundamentals and technologies. It has also seen a wide range of applications such as surgery assistance, handling of delicate foods, and wearable assistive systems driven by its soft nature that is more human friendly than traditional hard robotics. The rapid growth of soft robotics introduces many challenges, which vary with applications. Common challenges include the availability of soft materials for realizing different functions and the precision and speed of control required for actuation. In the context of wearable systems, miniaturization appears to be an additional hurdle to be overcome in order to develop truly impactful systems with a high user acceptance. Microfluidics as a field of research has gone through more than two decades of intense and focused research resulting in many fundamental theories and practical tools that have the potentials to be applied synergistically to soft robotics toward miniaturization. This perspective aims to introduce the potential synergy between microfluidics and soft robotics as a research topic and suggest future directions that could leverage the advantages of the two fields.

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Design and Preliminary Implementation of an Air Microfluidics Enabled Soft Robotic Knee Brace Towards the Management of Osteoarthritis

Cited by 2 publications

References 16 publications

Advances in Engineered Three-Dimensional (3D) Body Articulation Unit Models

Advances in Engineered Three-Dimensional (3D) Body Articulation Unit Models

Synergizing microfluidics with soft robotics: A perspective on miniaturization and future directions

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