Magnetic microrobots hold immense potential for various biomedical applications, including targeted drug delivery. However, their operational efficacy in complex, heterogeneous biological environments (e.g., vasculature with varying lumen diameters) is often constrained. To address this limitation, this study presents a magnetically driven soft microrobot capable of dual-mode locomotion, where seamless switching between oscillatory and helical motions is achieved solely by switching the external magnetic field frequency via frequency modulation. The proposed microrobot, with a millimeter-scale architecture featuring a programmed magnetization profile, exhibits C-shaped oscillation at low frequencies for rapid propulsion and terrain adaptation, and transforms into a helical rotation at high frequencies for stable navigation within confined channels. Experiments were conducted in a glycerol–water mixture to reveal that oscillatory and helical motion modes each operate within distinct, non-overlapping frequency bands. The microrobot successfully performed navigation through mode switching in both a biomimetic vascular model and ex vivo porcine organs. Furthermore, by integrating a photothermal-responsive methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) drug carrier, we demonstrated successful targeted drug delivery at a designated site triggered by near-infrared irradiation after magnetically guided delivery in a dynamic flow environment.
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Patient-derived colorectal cancer organoids (CRCOs) are increasingly recognized for their ability to preserve genetic, transcriptional, histological, and drug-responsive features of the original colorectal tumors, offering promise in precision medicine and drug development. While the conventional Matrigel dome culture (DOME) approach has been instrumental in enabling valuable investigations, it has limitations—most notably considerable variation in organoid size and drug sensitivity profiles. In this study, we developed an organoid-on-a-chip (CHIP) for forming uniform organoids and improving precision drug evaluation. Specifically, we fabricated the CHIP using three-dimensional (3D)-printing and micro-molding techniques. Using this CHIP, 19 uniform CRCOs can be generated concurrently in a single well of a 96-well plate within three days, each forming from a minimal seeding density of only 100 cells. Furthermore, the CHIP facilitates in situ imaging and continuous monitoring of individual organoids, supporting label-free, morphometric analysis-based drug screening. Organoids cultured on the CHIP show significantly improved consistency, uniformity, and reproducibility over the DOME method. Our CHIP organoids are functionally identical to conventional DOME organoids, but exhibit greater reliability in drug screening. These results support the CHIP’s potential for high-throughput assays and predictive drug screening models.
Embedded ink writing has been extensively applied in recent years for various biomedical applications. Despite its outstanding ability to create complex structures, the challenge of optimizing multiple factors has hampered further utilization of this three-dimensional bioprinting strategy. In this work, we experimentally summarized the coupling effects of ink viscosity, support bath rheological properties, and key printing parameters on filament formation. Based on the gathered data, Bayesian optimization is used to establish a filament prediction platform, which can accurately estimate the rheology of support baths for printing alginate-based ink under the given conditions. Additionally, the platform is used to predict the optimal parameters for printing with chitosan ink. Two representative eye-relevant tissues are successfully fabricated using the predictions of the platform. The insights from this study lay the foundation for embedded ink writing strategies that can guide support bath design and identify optimal printing parameters, aiding efficient reconstruction of human tissues and organs in the future.
Biofabrication and biomedical manufacturing are inherently multidisciplinary, integrating living systems with advanced manufacturing to create functional products for applications spanning regenerative engineering and medicine, in vitro disease modeling, drug discovery, and medical devices. As these technologies develop, they are emerging as core enablers of next-generation healthcare and life-science innovation. In the United States (U.S.), rapid progress across fabrication processes, material systems, physics-based modeling, and translation-oriented strategies is expanding the achievable design space and accelerating movement from laboratory demonstrations toward clinical and commercial deployment. We introduce major U.S. research frontiers and highlight representative advances in this field that support applications including organoids and other microphysiological systems for in vitro testing, engineered tissue constructs for in vivo use, and medical devices and biohybrid platforms. We further provide an outlook on advancing robust, ethical biofabrication and biomedical manufacturing in the U.S. research ecosystem.
