Magnetic Actuation for Mechanomedicine

Abstract

In the perspective of this article, the emergence of materials and systems for magneto-mechanical actuation in the field of mechanobiology is presented, and their potential to promote and advance biomedical research is discussed. These materials, ranging from single particles to compliant 2D substrates to 3D scaffolds, enable mechanical modulation of cells in a remote, dynamic, and reversible fashion. These features represent a major advance enabling researchers to reproduce time-evolving physiological and pathological processes in vitro and transmit mechanical forces and deformations to activate cellular responses or promote directed cell migration. As smart in vitro platforms, magneto-responsive systems may accelerate the discovery of mechanically mediated cellular mechanisms as therapeutic targets. In addition, the low magnetic susceptibility of biological tissues may facilitate the translation of in vitro approaches to in vivo settings, opening new routes for biomedical applications.