Zahra Rezaei , Niyou Wang , Alan De Jesus Alarcon Rodriguez , Shougo Higashi , Su Ryon Shin
{"title":"Biosensors in biomedical research: Bridging cell and tissue engineering and real-time monitoring","authors":"Zahra Rezaei , Niyou Wang , Alan De Jesus Alarcon Rodriguez , Shougo Higashi , Su Ryon Shin","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100582","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100582","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Biosensing technology is essential for advancing biomedical research, enabling real-time, continuous monitoring of biomarkers to deepen our understanding of cellular and tissue behaviors within their environments. This review categorizes sensors as intracellular or extracellular types and discusses the integration of various biosensors into <em>in vitro</em> models. Special focus is given to electrochemical biosensors for their precision, potential for miniaturization, quantitative sensitivity, and real-time detection capabilities. We discuss how biosensors are transforming fields such as cancer research, toxicology, neuroscience, cardiovascular studies, and tissue regeneration. Biosensors play a significant role in disease modeling, drug testing, and smart wound healing systems, where continuous, non-invasive monitoring supports personalized therapeutic strategies and creates new possibilities for large-scale biofabrication. Importantly, biosensors operate in direct contact with cells or tissue, thus preserving tissue integrity during development. Integrating biosensors into <em>in vitro</em> models allows researchers to monitor physiological behavior, bridging critical gaps between laboratory studies and clinical applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100582"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143550586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kylee North , Sonny T. Jones , Grange M. Simpson , Ashley N. Dalrymple
{"title":"Personalized gait rehabilitation with spinal cord stimulation and machine learning: Recent advances and promising applications","authors":"Kylee North , Sonny T. Jones , Grange M. Simpson , Ashley N. Dalrymple","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100579","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100579","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lumbosacral spinal cord stimulation shows promise in restoring walking after spinal cord injury. This review discusses recently developed machine learning approaches to provide customized stimulation patterns and parameters according to the extent of injury to achieve community ambulation. Key challenges include the need for control strategies that enhance residual limb function and adapt to variable motor impairments across individuals. Efficient identification of optimal stimulation parameters and the ability to adapt parameters over time without manual tuning is essential for long-term use upon clinical translation of spinal cord stimulation therapies for rehabilitation. Machine learning provides the necessary framework for personalized rehabilitation treatment by offering a flexible architecture that evolves and adapts automatically to suit individual patient rehabilitation needs and preferences.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100579"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143444329","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bioelectronic therapies for chronic pain","authors":"Liam A. Matthews , Scott F. Lempka","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100577","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100577","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Chronic pain is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Bioelectronic treatments for chronic pain are a class of therapies that apply electrical or magnetic stimuli to the nervous system to mitigate pain. In light of the opioid crisis, these strategies have garnered significant investment in recent years due to their ability to provide non-addictive pain relief. Despite remarkable success in some patients, the majority of bioelectronic approaches are typically recommended as a last-resort therapy due to their high cost, invasiveness, and limited evidence of long-term efficacy. Furthermore, these therapies are not a panacea for many patients, often providing clinically meaningful, but incomplete pain relief. Thus, there is substantial room for improvement and innovation to both increase therapeutic efficacy and develop novel strategies and devices that enable utilization of bioelectronic therapies earlier in the chronic pain treatment continuum. Here, we review recent advances to bioelectronic treatments for chronic pain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100577"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143377808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aining Fan , Erick Alvarado , Anton Block , Lingyan Shi
{"title":"A mini review of quantitative optical technologies for imaging cell and tissue metabolism","authors":"Aining Fan , Erick Alvarado , Anton Block , Lingyan Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100581","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100581","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Label-free imaging techniques, with their nondestructive, dye-free operation, and broad detection capabilities, have rapidly advanced and found application in biological tissue analysis. The integration of multimodal label-free imaging technologies has gained significant attention as it enables the acquisition of diverse molecular information from multiple sources while overcoming the limitations associated with conventional single-modality approaches. In this review, we examine several key label-free optical imaging technologies and their recent applications. We also discuss innovative multimodal imaging platforms, along with current advancements, limitations, and prospects in the field of label-free imaging.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100581"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143510354","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mridu Malik , Stecia A. Steele , Deepshikha Mitra , Christopher J. Long , James J. Hickman
{"title":"Trans-epithelial/endothelial electrical resistance (TEER): Current state of integrated TEER measurements in organ-on-a-chip devices","authors":"Mridu Malik , Stecia A. Steele , Deepshikha Mitra , Christopher J. Long , James J. Hickman","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100588","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100588","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Trans-epithelial/endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) is a non-invasive and quick method of assessing the integrity of barrier tissues. Traditional TEER measurement methods such as chopstick electrode-based and chamber-based measurements work well with static, Transwell-based models; however, the same methods do not directly apply to human-on-a-chip or organ-on-a-chip (OOC) platforms. With the wide variety of organ-on-a-chip devices, innovative designs to accurately measure TEER, without disturbing cells, are customized for various devices. Wire electrode integration, integrating a two-probe or four-probe technique, flexible printed circuit boards or multi-electrode glass substrate-based methods are some of the TEER measurement setups being utilized in conjunction with OOC systems. The variability in measurement setups associated with OOCs make standardization challenging; however, the field is working towards establishing guidelines on acceptable TEER values for different OOC constructs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100588"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143838090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Interplay between extracellular matrix mechanics and cell function in mechanobiology","authors":"Peter A. Galie , Paul A. Janmey","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tissues are composites of cells and extracellular matrix that interact with each other both chemically and mechanically to form functioning organs with defined chemical and physical properties. Changes in the physical properties of the extracellular matrix often alter the function of cells, and reciprocally, modified cell function remodels the extracellular matrix in a complex iterative process that mediates normal development, wound healing, and pathological dysfunction. Recent advances in studying how cells and matrix physically interact with each other reveal new aspects of tissue and matrix mechanics and identify potential targets for therapeutic intervention in pathologic settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100589"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mahima Choudhury , Annika J. Deans , Daniel R. Candland , Tara L. Deans
{"title":"Advancing cell therapies with artificial intelligence and synthetic biology","authors":"Mahima Choudhury , Annika J. Deans , Daniel R. Candland , Tara L. Deans","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100580","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100580","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Artificial intelligence provides an exciting avenue to improve approaches in cell therapies by learning and predicting dynamic gene expression patterns from large datasets of stem cell differentiation. The integration of synthetic biology provides genetic tools that mimic the spatial and temporal expression patterns during differentiation, enhancing the potential to significantly improve differentiation outcomes and further our understanding of the mechanisms involved during cell fate decisions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100580"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143454117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alejandro Forigua , Benjamin E. Campbell , Christopher Moraes
{"title":"Emerging views of biomechanics via embedded sensors in model tissues: Pathways to the clinic","authors":"Alejandro Forigua , Benjamin E. Campbell , Christopher Moraes","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mechanical features of tissues have been recognised as key drivers of disease progression and are increasingly investigated as diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Engineered tissue models with integrated embedded biomechanical sensors have recently uncovered complex mechanical behaviors across micro- and nanoscale environments, offering novel insights into developmental and disease mechanisms. This short opinion synthesizes emerging mechanical signatures that have been identified at high measurement sensitivities and spatial resolutions by embedding customized biomechanical sensors into engineered tissues, particularly for soft tissue pathologies like cancer and fibrosis. We then describe the challenges of achieving these increased resolutions in clinical practice, and highlight recent innovative strategies that may ultimately bridge these gaps. If successful, these improved biomechanical measurement systems could open new pathways for improving diagnostics and patient outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"34 ","pages":"Article 100587"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143725693","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Cell Niche Properties as Tuned by Physical Factors: ECM Proteins as Mechanochemical Switches","authors":"Arnaud Miéville, Viola Vogel","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100600","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2025.100600","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The discovery that proteins can act as mechanochemical switches lies at the core of the new field of mechanobiology. Nanotools enabled to establish that structural changes induced by mechanical stress or mechano-regulated proteolytic activity alter the accessibility or presentation of binding sites and thereby modulate cellular functions. Current research highlights extracellular matrix (ECM) fiber tension as a powerful modulator of cell functions, with significant implications for tissue pathology and potential applications in clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. With the goal of developing mechanopharmaceuticals, this current opinion aims to discuss emerging insights into mechanochemical switches in the ECM and how alterations in their tensional states can influence cellular behavior and disease progression.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"35 ","pages":"Article 100600"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144230193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"3D fabrication of artificial cell microenvironments for mechanobiology","authors":"Annabelle Sonn , Caterina Tomba , Christine Selhuber-Unkel , Barbara Schamberger","doi":"10.1016/j.cobme.2024.100574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cobme.2024.100574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Artificial scaffolds are indispensable tools in unraveling the complexity of mechanobiology under controlled conditions. Recent breakthroughs in microfabrication techniques for biological applications have revolutionized the field, enabling well-defined features that span from the subcellular to the multicellular scale. These methods particularly allow for unprecedented control of cell stimulation. This review will showcase research that combines such scaffolds with various stimulation techniques: mechanical stimulation, actuation by magnetic or electric fields, chemical stimulation, or manipulation by light. Additionally, it will introduce passive scaffolds that are actuated by the cells themselves. These systems help to understand forces applied by the cells to their environment and pave the way toward dynamic biohybrid, cell-based systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":36748,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering","volume":"33 ","pages":"Article 100574"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143098738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}