A collaboration with Matsunaga Lab
BIOrigami is a DIY kit which lets you prototype bio-hybrid products by simply folding bio-sheets and connecting them to electronics. The kit contains 3 bio-sheets: blood vessel cells, neuron cells and muscle cells. By folding and connecting the sheets to the nutrients supplier, the shapes you create generate new types of organs and bio-actuators. These creations can be actuated by connecting the neurons to a micro-controller. BIOrigami can also be used for educational purposes, to teach how compartments of the body such as blood vessels, muscles and neurons interact with each other to work as a unit.
About Matsunaga Lab
In the field of medicine and cell biology, there is an increasing demand for in vitro models that capture the function of living tissues. To capture the in vivo function in engineered tissues, Matsunaga lab strives to create bio-structures that mimic the hierarchical architecture and complexity of living tissues. They do this by controlling the cell microenvironment in a highly controllable, reproducible and scalable manner. By exploiting innovative approaches including microfabrication techniques (MEMS) and material science, Matsunaga lab focuses on developing three-dimensional engineered tissues for regenerative medicine and fundamental cell biology.