In situ particle-to-fibre transformation of hydrogels for 3D printing.

Shear-extensional in situ particle-to-fibre transformation (SHIFT) enables the creation of highly aligned hydrogel microfibres with pronounced anisotropy, achieving diameters of 5-30 μm.

• Why it matters: Recreating natural anisotropic structures in hydrogels is difficult, limiting their ability to mimic biological functions and enhance regenerative applications.
• What they did: The study employed a controlled extrusion process that transforms embedded particles into aligned microfibres through extensional flow, applicable to 3D printing and microfibre spinning.
• The result: This method produces long, aligned myotubes in vitro and accelerates muscle regeneration, broadening the potential for soft material processing in biomedical engineering.