Aiste Balciunaite

Last Name

Balciunaite

First Name

Aiste

ORCID

0000-0001-9645-9868

Organisational unit

09689 - Katzschmann, Robert / Katzschmann, Robert

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Publications1 - 10 of 10

Sensor-Embedded Muscle for Closed-Loop Controllable Actuation in Proprioceptive Biohybrid Robots
Filippi, Miriam; Balciunaite, Aiste; Georgopoulou, Antonia; et al. (2025)
Advanced Intelligent Systems
Biohybrid robots are soft robots that exploit unique characteristics of biological cells and tissues for motion generation. Skeletal muscle tissue-based bioactuators respond to externally applied stimuli, such as electrical fields. However, current bioactuation systems rely on open-loop control strategies that lack knowledge of the actuator's state. The regulation of output force and position of biohybrid robots requires self-sensing control systems that combine bioactuators with sensors and control paradigms. Herein, a soft, fiber-shaped mechanical sensor based on a piezoresistive composite is proposed that efficiently integrates with engineered skeletal muscle tissue and senses its contracting states in a cell culture environment in the presence of applied electrical fields. After testing the sensor's insulation and biocompatibility, its sensitivity for typical strains (<1%) is characterized, and its ability is proven to detect motions from contractile skeletal muscle tissue constructs. Finally, it is shown that the sensor response can feed an autonomous control system, thus demonstrating the first proprioceptive biohybrid robot that senses and responds to its contraction state. In addition to inspiring implantable systems, biomedical models, and other bioelectronic devices, the proposed technology will confer biohybrids with decisional autonomy, thus driving the paradigm shift between bioactuators and intelligent biohybrid robots.
Biocompatible Ink Optimization Enables Functional Volumetric Bioprinting With Xolography
Brauer, Erik; Balciunaite, Aiste; Kollert, Matthias R.; et al. (2025)
Advanced Materials
Xolography is a novel linear volumetric manufacturing technique that offers unparalleled precision and speed. Yet, its application to bioprinting remains limited due to insufficient understanding of biocompatibility constraints. Here, this work establishes fundamental design principles for cell-compatible Xolography bioinks by dissecting the effects of extracellular pH, osmolality, and lysosomotropic stress on cell viability and function. By systematically studying the tolerances for these parameters, this work defines a framework for bioink formulations that enables fast, support-free fabrication of complex designs with maintained cell viability and function as validated in different murine and human cell lines, primary human cells and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cells. These results show that, unlike triethanolamine, BisTris indeed can function as a fully biocompatible co-initiator enabling cell viability beyond 90% as well as uncompromised metabolic activity and differentiation performance when used in a tightly controlled formulation, contrasting previous reports. This work showcases the biomedical potential of the formulation by achieving fibroblast-driven extracellular matrix (ECM) formation, endothelial sprouting from pre-vascularized spheroids, and maintenance of an iPSC-derived hepatocyte differentiation phenotype within Xolography-printed constructs. These advancements transform Xolography into a powerful and foremost reliable bioprinting platform for fabrication of complex, cell-laden structures for versatile applications in tissue engineering, organ-on-a-chip models, and regenerative medicine.
Multidirectional Filamented Light Biofabrication Creates Aligned and Contractile Cardiac Tissues
Jones, Lewis; Filippi, Miriam; Michelis, Mike Yan; et al. (2024)
Advanced Science
Biofabricating 3D cardiac tissues that mimic the native myocardial tissue is a pivotal challenge in tissue engineering. In this study, we fabricate 3D cardiac tissues with controlled, multidirectional cellular alignment and directed or twisting contractility. We show that multidirectional filamented light can be used to biofabricate high-density (up to 60 × 106 cells mL−1) tissues, with directed uniaxial contractility (3.8x) and improved cell-to-cell connectivity (1.6x gap junction expression). Furthermore, by using multidirectional light projection, we can partially overcome cell-induced light attenuation, and fabricate larger tissues with multidirectional cellular alignment. For example, we fabricate a tri-layered myocardium-like tissue and a bi-layered tissue with torsional contractility. The approach provides a new strategy to rapidly fabricate aligned cardiac tissues relevant to regenerative medicine and biohybrid robotics.
Perfusable Biohybrid Designs for Bioprinted Skeletal Muscle Tissue
Filippi, Miriam; Yasa, Öncay; Giachino, Jan; et al. (2023)
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Engineered, centimeter-scale skeletal muscle tissue (SMT) can mimic muscle pathophysiology to study development, disease, regeneration, drug response, and motion. Macroscale SMT requires perfusable channels to guarantee cell survival, and support elements to enable mechanical cell stimulation and uniaxial myofiber formation. Here, stable biohybrid designs of centimeter-scale SMT are realized via extrusion-based bioprinting of an optimized polymeric blend based on gelatin methacryloyl and sodium alginate, which can be accurately coprinted with other inks. A perfusable microchannel network is designed to functionally integrate with perfusable anchors for insertion into a maturation culture template. The results demonstrate that i) coprinted synthetic structures display highly coherent interfaces with the living tissue, ii) perfusable designs preserve cells from hypoxia all over the scaffold volume, iii) constructs can undergo passive mechanical tension during matrix remodeling, and iv) the constructs can be used to study the distribution of drugs. Extrusion-based multimaterial bioprinting with the inks and design realizes in vitro matured biohybrid SMT for biomedical applications.
Multicellular muscle-tendon bioprinting of mechanically optimized musculoskeletal bioactuators with enhanced force transmission
Filippi, Miriam; Mock, Diana; Fuentes, Judith; et al. (2025)
Science Advances
Biohybrid actuators leveraging living muscle tissue offer the potential to replicate natural motion for biomedical and robotic applications. However, challenges such as limited force output and inefficient force transfer at tissue interfaces persist. The myotendinous junction, a specialized interface connecting muscle to the tendon, plays a critical role in efficient force transmission for movement. Engineering muscle-tendon units in vitro is essential for replicating native musculoskeletal functions in biohybrid actuators. Here, we present a three-dimensionally bioprinted system integrating skeletal muscle tissue with tendon-mimicking anchors containing fibroblasts, forming a biomimetic interdigitated myotendinous junction. Using computational models, we optimized muscle geometries to enhance deformation and force generation. The engineered system improved mechanical stability, myofiber maturation, and force transmission, generating contractile forces of up to 350 micronewtons over a 3-month period. This work highlights how biomimetic designs and mechanical optimization can advance bioactuator technologies for applications in medicine and robotics.
Bioprinting of Stable Bionic Interfaces Using Piezoresistive Hydrogel Organoelectronics
Georgopoulou, Antonia; Filippi, Miriam; Stefani, Lisa; et al. (2024)
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Bionic tissues offer an exciting frontier in biomedical research by integrating biological cells with artificial electronics, such as sensors. One critical hurdle is the development of artificial electronics that can mechanically harmonize with biological tissues, ensuring a robust interface for effective strain transfer and local deformation sensing. In this study, a highly tissue-integrative, soft mechanical sensor fabricated from a composite piezoresistive hydrogel. The composite not only exhibits exceptional mechanical properties, with elongation at the point of fracture reaching up to 680%, but also maintains excellent biocompatibility across multiple cell types. Furthermore, the material exhibits bioadhesive qualities, facilitating stable cell adhesion to its surface. A unique advantage of the formulation is the compatibility with 3D bioprinting, an essential technique for fabricating stable interfaces. A multimaterial sensorized 3D bionic construct is successfully bioprinted, and it is compared to structures produced via hydrogel casting. In contrast to cast constructs, the bioprinted ones display a high (87%) cell viability, preserve differentiation ability, and structural integrity of the sensor-tissue interface throughout the tissue development duration of 10 d. With easy fabrication and effective soft tissue integration, this composite holds significant promise for various biomedical applications, including implantable electronics and organ-on-a-chip technologies.
Bilayered Biofabrication Unlocks the Potential of Skeletal Muscle for Biohybrid Soft Robots
Balciunaite, Aiste; Yasa, Öncay; Filippi, Miriam; et al. (2024)
2024 IEEE 7th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)
The emerging field of biohybrid robotics aims to create the next generation of soft and sustainable robots by using engineered biological muscle tissues integrated with soft materials as artificial muscles, called bio-actuators. Both cardiac and skeletal muscle cells can be utilized for biohybrid actuation. Generally, cardiac bio-actuators take the shape of thin cellular films, while locomotive skeletal muscle bio-actuators form bulk tissues. The geometry of a bio-actuator should be optimized for the type of desired motion, e.g., thin film layers are optimal for swimming actuators mimicking fish. Until now, the geometry of skeletal muscle bio-actuators has been constrained to ring- or block-like tissues generally differentiated around a pair of pillars due to the need to oppose the contraction force exerted during the skeletal muscle differentiation process. In this work, we extend the possible geometry of skeletal muscle bio-actuators by demonstrating a bilayered design that mimics the motion of jellyfish. We take advantage of a volumetric printing method, i.e., xolography, which allows us to micropattern poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate and gelatin methacrylate hydrogels to serve as scaffolds for seeding a layer of the skeletal muscle cell matrix. We demonstrate that the locomotion speed of our bio-actuators is 2.5 × faster than that of previously reported counterparts. In addition, our skeletal bio-actuators outperform most cardiac ones. Further optimization of our bilayer biofabrication for improved reproducibility of the maturation process of the skeletal muscle tissue will pave the way for the next generation of performant skeletal muscle-based actuators for biohybrid robots.
Sensorized Engineered Tissues with Built-in Thermoregulation and Nutrient Supply
Georgopoulou, Antonia; Schreiner, Jakob; Filippi, Miriam; et al. (2026)
Advanced Functional Materials
Engineered tissues are widely used to replicate and restore biological structures; however, their functionality critically depends on high cell survival. Cell viability is often compromised when tissues are handled or stored outside controlled environments due to temperature fluctuations and nutrient depletion. While incubators can mitigate these limitations, maintaining stable conditions during handling and transport remains challenging. To address this challenge, we introduce a hydrogel-based tissue engineering scaffold with integrated thermoregulation and nutrient delivery. The scaffold is based on granular hydrogels whose interstitial spaces are functionalized with the conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS), which imparts electronic conductivity, while Zn2⁺ ions enhance ionic conductivity. These additives enable Joule heating, providing control over the substrate temperature. Continuous passive nutrient delivery is achieved by functionalizing the substrate with cell media-loaded polyelectrolyte microfragments. This hydrogel-based platform sustains homeostatic conditions without the need for external incubators, improving cell viability and resilience, which is key, for example, for point-of-care testing and personalized medicine.
Perforated red blood cells enable compressible and injectable hydrogels as therapeutic vehicles
Yasa, Öncay; Tiruneh, Fikru M.; Filippi, Miriam; et al. (2024)
Materials Today
Hydrogels engineered for medical use within the human body need to be delivered in a minimally invasive fashion without altering their biochemical and mechanical properties to maximize their therapeutic outcomes. In this regard, key strategies applied for creating such medical hydrogels include formulating precursor solutions that can be crosslinked in situ with physical or chemical cues following their delivery or forming macroporous hydrogels at sub-zero temperatures via cryogelation prior to their delivery. Here, we present a new class of injectable composite materials with shape recovery ability. The shape recovery is derived from the physical properties of red blood cells (RBCs) that are first modified via hypotonic swelling and then integrated into the hydrogel scaffolds before polymerization. The RBCs’ hypotonic swelling induces the formation of nanometer-sized pores on their cell membranes, which enable fast liquid release under compression. The resulting biocomposite hydrogel scaffolds display high deformability and shape-recovery ability. The scaffolds can repeatedly compress up to ∼87% of their original volumes during injection and subsequent retraction through syringe needles of different sizes; this cycle of injection and retraction can be repeated up to ten times without causing any substantial mechanical damage to the scaffolds. Our biocomposite material system and fabrication approach for injectable materials will be foundational for the minimally invasive delivery of drug-loaded scaffolds, tissue-engineered constructs, and personalized medical platforms that could be administered to the human body with conventional needle-syringe systems.
Biohybrid nanointerfaces for neuromodulation
Filippi, Miriam; Balciunaite, Aiste; Katzschmann, Robert K. (2024)
Nano Today
Neural prostheses are bio-hybrid devices that interface electrodes with human tissue to stimulate neurons or record their activity. Conventional neural interfaces require surgical insertion of electrodes into the tissue to form contact with target cells and do not coherently integrate with the surrounding tissue. To overcome these limitations, advanced micro/nano-implants are proposed, which incorporate soft and nanomaterials featuring biophysical responsiveness, biocompatibility, and compliant design. In this review, we describe how stimuli-responsive nanotechnology and deformable materials have contributed to miniaturization, high-resolution operation, and biocompatibility in neuromodulation strategies, with a focus on nanoscaled neurotechnologies that affect neural tissue growth and functionality. We conclude by highlighting future directions for biocompliant and translatable neuromodulation across a combination of nanotransducers, soft implantable materials, and computationally guided interface design.

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Aiste Balciunaite

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