Recent advances in microsystem approaches for mechanical characterization of soft biological tissues

Enming Song; Ya Huang; Ningge Huang; Yongfeng Mei; Xinge Yu; John A Rogers

doi:10.1038/s41378-022-00412-z

Recent advances in microsystem approaches for mechanical characterization of soft biological tissues

Microsyst Nanoeng. 2022 Jul 7:8:77. doi: 10.1038/s41378-022-00412-z. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Enming Song^#^{1

2}, Ya Huang^#³, Ningge Huang^#⁴, Yongfeng Mei^{2

4}, Xinge Yu³, John A Rogers⁵

Affiliations

¹ Shanghai Frontiers Science Research Base of Intelligent Optoelectronics and Perception, Institute of Optoelectronics, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 China.
² International Institute of Intelligent Nanorobots and Nanosystems, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 China.
³ Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 999077 China.
⁴ Department of Materials Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433 China.
⁵ Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Neurological Surgery, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Microsystem technologies for evaluating the mechanical properties of soft biological tissues offer various capabilities relevant to medical research and clinical diagnosis of pathophysiologic conditions. Recent progress includes (1) the development of tissue-compliant designs that provide minimally invasive interfaces to soft, dynamic biological surfaces and (2) improvements in options for assessments of elastic moduli at spatial scales from cellular resolution to macroscopic areas and across depths from superficial levels to deep geometries. This review summarizes a collection of these technologies, with an emphasis on operational principles, fabrication methods, device designs, integration schemes, and measurement features. The core content begins with a discussion of platforms ranging from penetrating filamentary probes and shape-conformal sheets to stretchable arrays of ultrasonic transducers. Subsequent sections examine different techniques based on planar microelectromechanical system (MEMS) approaches for biocompatible interfaces to targets that span scales from individual cells to organs. One highlighted example includes miniature electromechanical devices that allow depth profiling of soft tissue biomechanics across a wide range of thicknesses. The clinical utility of these technologies is in monitoring changes in tissue properties and in targeting/identifying diseased tissues with distinct variations in modulus. The results suggest future opportunities in engineered systems for biomechanical sensing, spanning a broad scope of applications with relevance to many aspects of health care and biology research.

Keywords: Electrical and electronic engineering; Engineering.

Publication types

Review