3D-Printed Soft Robotic Microsystems

M. Kaynak, P. Dirix, M. S. Sakar, Adv. Sci., 2020, 7, 2001120.

A soft microrobot construction kit is introduced, which constitutes untethered transducers such as pumps and rotors and a variety of machine parts. The compound micromachinery is printed as a single piece from a biocompatible hydrogel using two‐photon polymerization and actuated wirelessly using acoustic waves. Frequency‐selective acoustic excitation of several transducers on the same robot enables dexterous biomanipulation. This breakthrough offers numerous potential applications in the biomedical field, from diagnostics to therapy.

How a protein stops cells from attacking their own DNA?

B. Guey, M. Wischnewski, A. Decout, K. Makasheva,

M. Kaynak, M. S. Sakar, B. Fierz, A. Ablasser,

Science, 369, 823, 2020.

A signaling pathway called cGAS-STING detects the presence of intracellular DNA as a surrogate for both cellular damage and viral infection. Meanwhile, sensing of self-DNA must be suppressed to prevent the development of autoimmune responses. Guey et al. identify BAF as a protein that competes with the cGAS for binding to genomic self-DNA. When there is a breakdown in nuclear compartmentalization, cytosolic cGAS enzymatic activity is prevented because of BAF.