Fig. 1. Engineered muscle tissues (EMTs) are fabricated using the PDMS two-post system and develop multinucleated myotubular structures in 5 days.
a A schematic showing the EMT fabrication process based on collagen / Matrigel composite hydrogels that self-assemble around a PDMS post array. Created using Biorender®. b A PDMS post array consists of 6 post pairs, each with one flexible and one rigid post. c A representation of an EMT formed around the tips of a PDMS post pair. EMT contractile force and kinetics are determined from the displacement of the flexible post using Euler-Bernoulli beam theory. d A representative photograph of EMTs cultured in a full 24-well plate. Scale bar: 15 mm. e An EMT in an individual well of a 24-well plate. Scale bar: 5 mm. f Immunofluorescence staining for sarcomeric α-actinin and DAPI shows differentiated, multi-nucleated myotubes in a 5-day EMT whole mount. Scale bar: 50 μm.