Engineering Striated Muscle Repair: Biomaterials, Bioprinting, and Functional Models

This Research Topic focuses on physiologically grounded engineering approaches for striated muscle repair and on the development of experimental platforms that reproduce key aspects of muscle function. The collection seeks studies that integrate biomaterials, biofabrication, and quantitative functional testing to improve our ability to measure, model, and restore contractile performance in skeletal and cardiac muscle.We welcome work on scaffolds, bioprinted constructs, organoids, engineered tissues, and hybrid bioelectronic systems—especially when design choices (material properties, architecture, cell composition, vascularization/innervation strategies, and stimulation paradigms) are explicitly linked to muscle physiology outcomes. Priority will be given to submissions that include robust functional readouts such as active/passive force production, twitch/tetanic kinetics, work or power output, fatigue protocols, Ca²⁺ handling, excitability/conduction, length–tension relationships, or validated in vivo functional recovery metrics.Engineered systems are also encouraged as tools to interrogate disease mechanisms and evaluate interventions, provided they enable mechanistic insight and go beyond materials characterization alone. Studies that use rehabilitation-like conditioning (electrical pacing, mechanical loading, cyclic stretch) to drive maturation or recovery are particularly welcome when adaptive responses are quantified with physiology endpoints.Contributions may address:- Biomaterials and scaffolds that enable physiological alignment, force transmission, and host integration- 3D bioprinting and fabrication strategies for building functional skeletal and cardiac muscle tissues- Engineered models with quantitative physiology readouts (force, Ca²⁺ transients, excitability/conduction, energetics, fatigue)- Disease modeling and therapy testing in engineered striated muscle systems with measurable functional phenotypes- Stimulation and conditioning paradigms (electrical and mechanical) that promote maturation, plasticity, and recovery- Translational repair strategies evaluated with objective striated muscle performance measuresSubmissions should remain anchored in striated muscle physiology, demonstrating how engineered design and conditioning translate into measurable changes in muscle function and dysfunction.Guest Editor Dr. Koyal Garg declares an equity interest in the company GenAssist and serves on its advisory board. Guest Editor Dr. Christopher O’Bryan is in the process of establishing an LLC company, SynthSurg, which develops hydrogel phantom models for surgical training applications related to brain cancer surgery (company founded in spring 2026). Topic editors: Koyal Garg, Christopher S. O'Bryan Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79099/engineering-striated-muscle-repair-biomaterials-bioprinting-and-functional-models