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Bioengineering
Special Issues
Bio-Applications of Soft Materials
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Bio-Applications of Soft Materials

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 May 2023) | Viewed by 6621

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jingjing Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
Interests: soft materials; bio-adhesive; hydrogel interfaces
Dr. Jue Deng

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA
Interests: bioelectronics; 3D printing; wearable electronics; soft materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soft materials as a promising candidate for human–machine interfaces provide unprecedented opportunities in the fields from biology and translational medicine to bioelectronics and personal healthcare. Soft materials have played important roles in providing advanced diagnoses and therapies. However, the field still exposes many scientific and technological challenges. Insufficient scientific understandings and inadequate technology limit the development of advanced soft materials, and many promising bio-applications are underexplored from academic and translational perspectives. This Special Issue aims to promote and gather recent advances in the design, synthesis, characterization, manufacturing, theoretical analysis, and versatile biological applications of soft materials. Future challenges and perspectives of next-generation soft materials will be included.

This Special Issue focuses on state-of-the-art multifunctional soft materials to solve critical challenges in engineering and medicine. Therefore, original research articles (full papers and short communications), reviews, mini reviews, perspectives, and opinions covering the latest studies and progress are highly welcomed. We welcome submissions covering, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Soft materials for tissue repairs;
  • Conductive soft materials for bioelectronics;
  • Functional soft materials/devices for advanced therapy and diagnosis;
  • Additive manufacturing technology for advanced fabrication;
  • Understanding the interface between soft materials and biological systems;
  • Novel biosensing/stimulation technology, and closed loop sensing/stimulation;
  • Functional fibers, e-textiles, e-skin, and smart wearables for healthcare monitoring;
  • Materials, manufacturing, and systems of soft materials for soft robotics;
  • Neural interface.

Dr. Jingjing Wu
Dr. Jue Deng
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soft materials
  • hydrogels
  • scaffold
  • mechanical testing
  • 3D printing
  • functional materials
  • biocompatibility
  • biodegradation
  • rheology properties
  • bioelectronics
  • adhesion properties
  • bioactivity
  • tissue repair
  • hemostats
  • biomedical device

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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10 pages, 1882 KiB  
Communication
Associations of Ambient Environmental Conditions with Growth and Dissemination of Staphylococcus epidermidis on the Surface of Teatcups from Sheep Milking Parlours
by Eleni I. Katsarou, Efthymia Petinaki and George C. Fthenakis
Bioengineering 2023, 10(1), 81; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/bioengineering10010081 - 7 Jan 2023
Viewed by 916
Abstract
The growth of two isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis (one that was forming biofilm and one that was not) on new or used teatcups made of silicone for use in milking parlours for sheep, was assessed for 24 h after the application by smearing [...] Read more.
The growth of two isolates of Staphylococcus epidermidis (one that was forming biofilm and one that was not) on new or used teatcups made of silicone for use in milking parlours for sheep, was assessed for 24 h after the application by smearing on the surface of the teatcup. Staphylococci were applied by smearing on an area of 0.0003142 (3.142 × 10−4) m2 on material obtained from the teatcups and their growth and expansion further on were monitored for 24 h at varying ambient conditions: temperature 21 °C or 31 °C and humidity 60% or 80%. No differences were evident between the two isolates in the frequency of recoveries in any of the conditions tested (p > 0.75 for all comparisons). Recovery rates were higher in humidity 80% compared to humidity 60%: 1678/2016 (83.2%) versus 1282/2016 (63.6%) (p < 0.0001), and in temperature 31 °C compared to temperature 21 °C: 1525/2016 (75.6%) versus 1435/2016 (71.2%) (p = 0.001). Recovery rates were also higher from new teatcups compared to used ones only in humidity 60%: 744/1008 (73.8%) versus 538/1008 (53.4%) (p < 0.0001). Humidity 80% was associated with higher speed of linear dissemination of the isolates on teatcup surface compared to humidity 60%: 0.000000640 (6.40 × 10−7) m s−1 versus 0.000000322 (3.22 × 10−7) m s−1 (+98.8%) (p < 0.0001); no such association was seen with higher temperature: 0.000000509 (5.09 × 10−7) m s−1 versus 0.000000453 (4.53 × 10−7) m s−1 for temperature 31 °C and 21 °C (+12.4%) (p = 0.29). As part of precision livestock farming, differing approaches can be instituted in accord with varying climatic conditions in different farms, as well as within the same farm with the change of seasons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Applications of Soft Materials)
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19 pages, 4062 KiB  
Article
An Innovative Arteriovenous (AV) Loop Breast Cancer Model Tailored for Cancer Research
by Ran An, Pamela L. Strissel, Majida Al-Abboodi, Jan W. Robering, Reakasame Supachai, Markus Eckstein, Ajay Peddi, Theresa Hauck, Tobias Bäuerle, Aldo R. Boccaccini, Almoatazbellah Youssef, Jiaming Sun, Reiner Strick, Raymund E. Horch, Anja M. Boos and Annika Kengelbach-Weigand
Bioengineering 2022, 9(7), 280; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/bioengineering9070280 - 27 Jun 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2955
Abstract
Animal models are important tools to investigate the pathogenesis and develop treatment strategies for breast cancer in humans. In this study, we developed a new three-dimensional in vivo arteriovenous loop model of human breast cancer with the aid of biodegradable materials, including fibrin, [...] Read more.
Animal models are important tools to investigate the pathogenesis and develop treatment strategies for breast cancer in humans. In this study, we developed a new three-dimensional in vivo arteriovenous loop model of human breast cancer with the aid of biodegradable materials, including fibrin, alginate, and polycaprolactone. We examined the in vivo effects of various matrices on the growth of breast cancer cells by imaging and immunohistochemistry evaluation. Our findings clearly demonstrate that vascularized breast cancer microtissues could be engineered and recapitulate the in vivo situation and tumor-stromal interaction within an isolated environment in an in vivo organism. Alginate–fibrin hybrid matrices were considered as a highly powerful material for breast tumor engineering based on its stability and biocompatibility. We propose that the novel tumor model may not only serve as an invaluable platform for analyzing and understanding the molecular mechanisms and pattern of oncologic diseases, but also be tailored for individual therapy via transplantation of breast cancer patient-derived tumors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Applications of Soft Materials)
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Review

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26 pages, 2686 KiB  
Review
Polysaccharides and Structural Proteins as Components in Three-Dimensional Scaffolds for Breast Cancer Tissue Models: A Review
by Eva Pasquier, Jennifer Rosendahl, Amalie Solberg, Anders Ståhlberg, Joakim Håkansson and Gary Chinga-Carrasco
Bioengineering 2023, 10(6), 682; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/bioengineering10060682 - 3 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1945
Abstract
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and even though treatments are available, efficiency varies with the patients. In vitro 2D models are commonly used to develop new treatments. However, 2D models overestimate drug efficiency, which increases the failure rate in [...] Read more.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and even though treatments are available, efficiency varies with the patients. In vitro 2D models are commonly used to develop new treatments. However, 2D models overestimate drug efficiency, which increases the failure rate in later phase III clinical trials. New model systems that allow extensive and efficient drug screening are thus required. Three-dimensional printed hydrogels containing active components for cancer cell growth are interesting candidates for the preparation of next generation cancer cell models. Macromolecules, obtained from marine- and land-based resources, can form biopolymers (polysaccharides such as alginate, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, and cellulose) and bioactive components (structural proteins such as collagen, gelatin, and silk fibroin) in hydrogels with adequate physical properties in terms of porosity, rheology, and mechanical strength. Hence, in this study attention is given to biofabrication methods and to the modification with biological macromolecules to become bioactive and, thus, optimize 3D printed structures that better mimic the cancer cell microenvironment. Ink formulations combining polysaccharides for tuning the mechanical properties and bioactive polymers for controlling cell adhesion is key to optimizing the growth of the cancer cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Applications of Soft Materials)
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