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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2020 Mar 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Biotechnol. 2019 Aug 19;38(3):254–263. doi: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2019.07.005

Figure 1. Key Figure: Remote Fields in Tissue Engineering: Literature Examples and Inspiration.

Figure 1

(A) Magnets (shown in gray) offer a relatively simple and accessible method for manipulating the position of magnetized cells [28], aligning matrix fibers [17], or patterning growth factor gradients [22]. (B) Focused optical fields (shown in red) provide high spatial resolution that can be used for optogenetic modulation of cells [40], photodegradation of materials [34], or local release of biochemical factors [35]. (C) Acoustic fields can be generated by piezotransducers (shown in blue) in order to pattern bulk cell populations [45], modulate fiber microstructure [57], or locally release biochemical factors [59]. Many of these approaches, along with related technologies, are already used to engineer complex tissue structures, while others require further development, optimization, or scale up.