Injectable cell carriers for cell delivery in skeletal muscle tissue

In this project, we developed various types of injectable materials that for the cell delivery are applicable. From ultrathin cell carriers fabricated by microfabrication technique to injectable bioadhesives that can be applied for wound healing are covered. The injectable materials can be used as a minimally invasive delivery of the cells to the site of injury without loosing functionality. By altering the mechanical properties of the cell carriers, and proper surface functionalization, we could influence the cell viability and proliferation. For example, in one of the example from injectable cell carriers for muscle cells, we detected the high maturation of cells toward the formation of contractile tissue. This was a winning idea at Falling Walls Lab Sendai, Japan 2015, and the finalist of Falling Walls Lab Berlin in 2015 www.youtube.com/watch. These microcarriers are used in our projects funded through SFB/TRR 225 to develop a composite bioink for skeletal muscle tissue bioprinting. Furthermore, the injectable and bioadhesive hydrogols are used in treatment of volume muscle loss and wound healing as a surgical sealant.

Related Papers:

  • M. Kharaziha, S. Salehi, M. Shokri, S. M. Ahmadi Tafti, and T. Scheibel, “ ROS-Scavenging Multifunctional Microneedle Patch Facilitating Wound Healing.” Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2025: e01886. doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202501886
  • S. Heilig, Z. Lamberger, L. Sprenger, V. Priebe,  C. Mussoni,  D. Docheva,  K. Andelovic,  J. Groll,  S. Salehi,  G. Lang,  M. Ryma, Fibrillar Bundles as Fibrous Filler Materials for Attaining Cell Anisotropy in Bioprinting. Adv. Healthcare Mater. 2025: e03767. doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202503767
  • L. Sprenger, H.-H. Lu, S. Trippmacher, U. Mansfeld, P. Milkin, L. Ionov, G. Papastavrou, A.R. Boccaccini, S. Salehi,Composite Alginate Dialdehyde-Gelatin (ADA-GEL) Hydrogel Containing Short Ribbon-Shaped Fillers for Skeletal Muscle Tissue Biofabrication, ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces; 2024, doi.org/10.1021/acsami.4c10751
  • M. Kharaziha*, T. Scheibel, S. Salehi, Multifunctional Naturally Derived Bioadhesives: from Strategic Molecular Designs toward Advanced Biomedical Applications, Progress in Polymer Science, 2024, 150, 101792.
  • T. Gruhn, C. Ortiz-Monsalve, C. Müller, S. Heid, A.R. Boccaccini, S. Salehi,  Fabrication of hydrogel-based composite fibers and computer simulation of the filler dynamics in the composite flow, Bioengineering 2023 10 (4), 448.
  • T. Gruhn, C. Ortiz-Monsalve, S. Salehi, Structure formation of rod-like fillers in a contraction flow, Physics of Fluids, 2023, 35, 043107.
  • E.Khadem, M. Khraziha*, S. Salehi, Colorimetric pH-responsive and hemostatic hydrogel-based bioadhesives containing functionalized silver nanoparticles, Materials Today Bio 2023, 20, 100650.
  • N. Rajabi, M. Kharaziha, R. Emadi, A. Zarrabi, H. Mokhtari, S. Salehi, An adhesive and injectable nanocomposite hydrogel of thiolated gelatin/gelatin methacrylate/Laponite® as a potential surgical sealant, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 2020, 564, 155-169.
  • S. Salehi, S. Ostrovidov, R. Banan Sadeghian, M. Ebrahimi, X. Liang, H. Bae, K. Nakajima, T. Fujie, A. Khademhosseini, Development of Flexible Cell Loaded Ultrathin Ribbons for Minimally Invasive Delivery of Skeletal Muscle Cells, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 2017, 3 (4), 579–589.
  • C.S. Russell, A. Mostafavi, J. P. Quint, A. Panayi, K. Udeh, T. J. Williams, J. G. Daubendiek, V. Hugo Sánchez, Z. Bonick, M. Trujillo-Miranda, S. Ryon Shin, O. Pourquie, S. Salehi, I. Sinha, and A. Tamayol, In Situ Printing of Adhesive Hydrogel Scaffolds for the Treatment of Skeletal Muscle Injuries, ACS Appl. Biomater. 2020, 3, 3, 1568-1579.
  • S. Ostrovidov, S. Salehi, M. Costantini, K. Suthiwanish, M. Ebrahimi, R. B. Sadeghian, T. Fujie, X. Shi, S. Cannata, C. Gargioli, A. Tamayol, M. R. Dokmeci, G. Orive, W. Swieszkowski, A. Khademhosseini, 3D Bioprinting in Skeletal Muscle, Small 2019, 15 (24), 1805530.
  • S. Ostrovidov, X. Shi, R. Banan Sadeghian, S. Salehi, T. Fujie, H. Bae, M. Ramalingam, A. Khademhosseini, Stem Cell Differentiation Toward the Myogenic Lineage for Muscle Tissue Regeneration: A Focus on Muscular Dystrophy, Journal of Stem cells, Reviews and Reports 2015, 11(6), 866-84.