Selective Artificial Neural Network and Stimulation Magnetically Controlled Cell-based Cellbots

Abstract

We report various magnetically actuated cell-based microrobots (cellbots) for selective neurite alignment, neuronal connections, and/or selective stimulation. A biodegradable spherical gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) microrobot was fabricated in a flow-focusing droplet generator by shearing a mixture of GelMA, photoinitiator, and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) with a mixture of oil and surfactant. Human turbinate stem cells (hNTSCs) were loaded onto the GelMA microrobot, and the hNTSC-loaded microrobot exhibited a precise rolling motion in response to an external rotating magnetic field. The microrobot was enzymatically degraded by collagenase and released hNTSCs proliferated and differentiated into neuronal cells. The proposed cellbots show the potential for in vitrocell delivery and neural experiments to understand how neurons communicate in the neural network.