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1. Skeletal Muscle Spheroids as Building Blocks for Engineered Muscle Tissue

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acsbiomaterials.3c01078  

   Johnson, Nicholas; Filler, Andrea C.; Sethi, Akash; Smith, Lucas R.; Leach, J. Kent (December 2023, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering)
2. Muscle on demand

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-021-01069-1  

   Hess, Henry (August 2021, Nature Materials)

   null (Ed.)
3. Simplified Cost Functions Meet Advanced Muscle Models to Streamline Muscle Force Estimation

   https://doi.org/10.3390/biomed4030028  

   Ahmed, Muhammad Hassaan; N’Guessan, Jacques-Ezechiel; Das, Ranjan; Leineweber, Matthew; Goyal, Sachin (September 2024, BioMed)

   Background/Objectives: This study explores an optimization-based strategy for muscle force estimation by employing simplified cost functions integrated with physiologically relevant muscle models. Methods: Considering elbow flexion as a case study, we employ an inverse-dynamics approach to estimate muscle forces for the biceps brachii, brachialis, and brachioradialis, utilizing different combinations of cost functions and muscle constitutive models. Muscle force generation is modeled by accounting for active and passive contractile behavior to varying degrees using Hill-type models. In total, three separate cost functions (minimization of total muscle force, mechanical work, and muscle stress) are evaluated with each muscle force model to represent potential neuromuscular control strategies without relying on electromyography (EMG) data, thereby characterizing the interplay between muscle models and cost functions. Results: Among the evaluated models, the Hill-type muscle model that incorporates both active and passive properties, combined with the stress minimization cost function, provided the most accurate predictions of muscle activation and force production for all three arm flexor muscles. Our results, validated against existing biomechanical data, demonstrate that even simplified cost functions, when paired with detailed muscle models, can achieve high accuracy in predicting muscle forces. Conclusions: This approach offers a versatile, EMG-free alternative for estimating muscle recruitment and force production, providing a more accessible and adaptable tool for muscle force analysis. It has profound implications for enhancing rehabilitation protocols and athletic training, not only broadening the applicability of muscle force estimation in clinical and sports settings but also paving the way for future innovations in biomechanical research. 

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4. Reduced non-bicarbonate skeletal muscle buffering capacity in mice with the mini-muscle phenotype

   https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.172478  

   Kay, Jarren C.; Ramirez, Jocelyn; Contreras, Erick; Garland, Theodore (May 2018, The Journal of Experimental Biology)
5. Untethered muscle tracking using magnetomicrometry

   https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.1010275  

   Taylor, Cameron R.; Yeon, Seong Ho; Clark, William H.; Clarrissimeaux, Ellen G.; O’Donnell, Mary Kate; Roberts, Thomas J.; Herr, Hugh M. (October 2022, Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology)

   Muscle tissue drives nearly all movement in the animal kingdom, providing power, mobility, and dexterity. Technologies for measuring muscle tissue motion, such as sonomicrometry, fluoromicrometry, and ultrasound, have significantly advanced our understanding of biomechanics. Yet, the field lacks the ability to monitor muscle tissue motion for animal behavior outside the lab. Towards addressing this issue, we previously introduced magnetomicrometry, a method that uses magnetic beads to wirelessly monitor muscle tissue length changes, and we validated magnetomicrometry via tightly-controlled in situ testing. In this study we validate the accuracy of magnetomicrometry against fluoromicrometry during untethered running in an in vivo turkey model. We demonstrate real-time muscle tissue length tracking of the freely-moving turkeys executing various motor activities, including ramp ascent and descent, vertical ascent and descent, and free roaming movement. Given the demonstrated capacity of magnetomicrometry to track muscle movement in untethered animals, we feel that this technique will enable new scientific explorations and an improved understanding of muscle function. 

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