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The micrometre-resolution dissections, which could provide useful knowledge for tissue engineering and other biomedical applications, were carried out at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
To address the current limitations of microsurgery techniques, which often involve simple tools and years of training, biologist Andy Oates turned to engineer Professor Selman Sakar, an expert in microtechnology and small-scale robotics.
“In my laboratory, we have been building robotic tools for tissue micro-manipulation,” said Professor Sakar. “We asked whether we could use some of these tools to facilitate research in embryology in general, to make it more reliable and give it a higher throughput, and in this case to specifically understand the biomechanics of how tissue morphogenesis [the shaping and structuring of a developing tissue] in zebrafish works.”
The platform, which involves robotic manipulators, a microscope, camera, and a handheld videogame controller, enables what the researchers call ‘robot-assisted tissue micromanipulation’. The robot itself is compact (200x100x70mm3), high-resolution, and dexterous, with several degrees of freedom. The tool can position itself automatically without any manual intervention, and with high, reproducible stability.
Using the platform, researchers targeted precise regions of the zebrafish embryo. The robot-assisted microsurgery allowed them to remove the embryo’s elongating tail and grow it separately – a process called explanting, which is often used in embryological research.
As well as embryology, the work could help researchers ‘reverse engineer’ development for tissue engineering. “If we understand how forces lead to tissue morphogenesis, we could replicate these conditions with engineered tissues in vitro,” said Professor Sakar. “Like biochemical factors, providing the right mechanical environment and signals is critical for the tissues to develop and function properly.
“We are also motivated to create biological machines that are designed to perform specific engineering tasks. For example, we would like to engineer mini-hearts that serve as organic pumps, with much simpler architecture compared to the real heart.
“To this end, robot-assisted microsurgery provides not only the construction principles, but also provides the means to manufacture machines from the living matter through mechanically-guided self-assembly.”
The research was published in Nature Communications.
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