Robotic muscle regeneration

We know that massages feel good, but the science around mechanotherapy has long been hindered by the absence of reproducible protocols and a clear mechanistic understanding of how mechanical cues affect tissue regeneration. This project sought to garner an understanding of how mechanical loading of injured muscle aid regeneration. 

My contribution to this project was to develop a robotic device with real-time force control for mechanically stimulated damaged muscle tissue in a murine model. Using this device and ultrasound imaging, our team tested the hypothesis that specific mechanical loading enhances tissue repair by modulating inflammatory responses crucial for skeletal muscle regeneration. 

Strikingly, the research findings indicate that cyclic compressive loading within a certain force range significantly improves the functional recovery of severely injured muscle in a murine model. It was found that this improvement is partly due to the rapid clearance of neutrophils and neutrophil-mediated factors, which might otherwise hinder myogenesis. 

The insights from this work could advance therapeutic strategies for tissue regeneration from muscle loss or trauma. The work was published in Science Translational Medicine and was led by Bo Ri Seo.