Weight Training Device to Promote Maturation in Skeletal Muscle Tissues

This paper proposes a weight training device to promote maturation in skeletal muscle tissues. The proposed device has a 3D-printed floating structure and a weight that enable the weight training movement inspired by muscle training. The floating structure allows free contractile movement in skeletal muscle tissues under electrical stimulation. Also, using the weight, mechanical stimulation can be applied to the tissues. Through the fabricated weight training device, thicker and more highly-aligned myotubes were formed compared to ones without training. This weight training device will be applicable to promote the maturation of skeletal muscle tissues for applications such as bioactuators, regenerative medicine, and cultured meat.