MAGMATED · Magneto-Mechanical Technology for Bioinspired Material Testing and Ex-Vivo Diagnosis

Natural hydrogels and bioinspired soft materials are changing paradigms in regenerative medicine, drug delivery, microfluidics andsoft robotics applications. Their use requires a comprehensive mechanical characterisation over time that is currently limited by theneed of several and costly experimental setups. These equipment faces difficulties for imposing hydrating and thermal conditions,and for gripping samples during testing without damaging them or introducing undesirable stress concentrations that compromisethe validity of the results. Another research area that faces the same issues and limitations is the mechanical testing of ex vivo tissuefor diagnosis. MAGMATED platform will comprise an intelligent system and integrated data-driven method to mechanicallycharacterise soft materials and biological tissues, providing a fast spatial distribution of apparent stiffness and viscoelastic properties.It builds on our results on magneto-active polymers (MAP) and magnetic actuation control to induce deformation under realistic invitro conditions. The platform will integrate MAPs as sample holders with a computational framework combining data-driven andphysical models to determine the spatial distribution of mechanical properties, from recorded deformation images. Multiple forcecombinations on the sample, along with inverse engineering approaches, will enable a comprehensive and accurate spatialcharacterization surpassing existing methods. MAGMATED has the potential to significantly reduce testing times and costs formechanical characterisation of soft biological materials and tissues, providing a portable platform that does not require extensiveuser’s expertise. We expect a profound impact on testing and design protocols in bioinspired scaffolds, regenerative medicine ordiagnosis. The simplified and cost-effective system will also broaden access to mechanical testing across diverse facilities, eliminatingthe need for dedicated laboratory space.