LaMontagne Erin, Savchenko Alex, Gonzalez Gisselle, Vatsyayan Ritwik, Martin-Burgos Blanca, Puppo Francesca, Biagi Diogo, Papes Fabio, Dayeh Shadi A, Muotri Alysson R, Engler Adam J
Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
Nanotools Bioscience, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
Biomaterials. 2025 Dec;323:123430. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2025.123430. Epub 2025 May 21.
Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived electrically excitable cells provide a unique window into development, but they remain electrically immature partially due to the lack of chronic stimulation. Here, we fabricated electrospun polymer nanofibers containing light-reactive reduced graphene oxide (rGO) as part of a new classes of on-demand, electrically active biomaterials to enhance cell function. Fiber size, stiffness, and electrical conductivity varied with rGO concentration, which impacted hPSC-derived cardiomyocyte and neuron responses; with acute light stimulation, cardiomyocytes exhibited increased, synchronous calcium handling. Long-term, daily nanofiber light stimulation improves brain organoid electrical activity and activates photoreceptor pathways. This work outlines a tunable method where electrical cell functions can be titrated with rGO fibers and light stimulation, and it suggests that repetitive light stimulation may provide a novel method for retinal differentiation.
人多能干细胞（hPSC）来源的电可兴奋细胞为发育提供了一个独特的窗口，但由于缺乏长期刺激，它们在电方面仍不成熟。在这里，我们制备了含有光反应性还原氧化石墨烯（rGO）的电纺聚合物纳米纤维，作为一类新型的按需电活性生物材料的一部分，以增强细胞功能。纤维尺寸、刚度和电导率随rGO浓度而变化，这影响了hPSC来源的心肌细胞和神经元反应；在急性光刺激下，心肌细胞表现出增强的同步钙处理能力。长期每日纳米纤维光刺激可改善脑类器官的电活动并激活光感受器通路。这项工作概述了一种可调谐方法，通过rGO纤维和光刺激可以调节细胞的电功能，并且表明重复光刺激可能为视网膜分化提供一种新方法。
