SELF-ASSEMBLED MUSCLE-POWERED MICRODEVICES

• Main Authors: NEVES, HERCULES, P, MONTEMAGNO, CARLO, D
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French
• Published: 02.12.2004
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: APPARATUS FOR ENZYMOLOGY OR MICROBIOLOGY; BEER; BIOCHEMISTRY; BLASTING; CHEMISTRY; COMPOSITIONS OR TEST PAPERS THEREFOR; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF; CONDITION-RESPONSIVE CONTROL IN MICROBIOLOGICAL ORENZYMOLOGICAL PROCESSES; CULTURE MEDIA; DIAGNOSIS; ENZYMOLOGY; HEATING; HUMAN NECESSITIES; HYGIENE; IDENTIFICATION; LIGHTING; MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS; MEASURING OR TESTING PROCESSES INVOLVING ENZYMES, NUCLEICACIDS OR MICROORGANISMS; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; MECHANICAL-POWER PRODUCING DEVICES OR MECHANISMS, NOTOTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR OR USING ENERGY SOURCES NOT OTHERWISEPROVIDED FOR; MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; METALLURGY; MICROBIOLOGY; MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES; MUTATION OR GENETIC ENGINEERING; OR A REACTIVE PROPULSIVE THRUST, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PROCESSES OF PREPARING SUCH COMPOSITIONS; PRODUCING MECHANICAL POWER; PROPAGATING, PRESERVING OR MAINTAINING MICROORGANISMS; SPIRITS; SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS; SURGERY; VINEGAR; WEAPONS; WIND, SPRING WEIGHT AND MISCELLANEOUS MOTORS; WINE

Cultured muscle tissue used as actuators in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) for mechanical and electrical power generation can either be dissected or cultured from myoblasts and grown in situ. The MEMS is fabricated using conventional techniques (surface or bulk micromachining) and incorporating surface modification techniques and/or anchor structures to favor muscle attachment followed by post-processing to assemble dissected muscle tissue or grow the self-assembling muscle tissue at the desired sites. Initial post processing is done to incorporate PZT devices for energy conversion. Additional post-processing is then done for muscle tissue self-assembling; that includes coating the MEMS with polymers that will either repel or favor the muscle growth, and the culturing on the muscle tissue starting from myoblasts. The system is fueled by adding glucose to the medium in which it is contained. Des tissus musculaires mis en culture utilisés en tant qu'actionneurs dans des systèmes microélectromécaniques (MEMS), destinés à produire de l'énergie mécanique et électrique, peuvent être soit disséqués ou mis en culture à partir de myoblastes et croissent in situ. Ledit système MEMS est fabriqué au moyen de techniques classiques (micromachines de surface ou en vrac) et des techniques de modification de la surface d'incorporation et/ou des structures d'ancrage pour favoriser la fixation du muscle suivi par une étape de post-traitement permettant d'assembler les tissus musculaires ou de faire croître l'auto-assemblage des tissus musculaires sur les sites désirés. Le post traitement initial est alors effectué pour l'auto-assemblage des tissus musculaires, celui-ci comprenant le revêtement des MEMS avec des polymères qui repoussent ou favorisent la croissance des muscles, et la mise en culture des tissus musculaires qui commence à partir des myoblastes. Ledit système est alimenté par ajout de glucose au support, dans lequel il est contenu.