A new biofunctionalized and micropatterned PDMS is able to promote stretching-induced human myotube maturation

Dynamic mechanical stimulation of differentiated human myotubes was performed using a CellScale MechanoCulture T6 uniaxial stretching system. Following myogenic differentiation on micropatterned PDMS membranes, substrates were mounted into the MechanoCulture T6 and subjected to controlled cyclic uniaxial stretch at defined strain amplitudes and frequencies. The system enabled reproducible application of dynamic tensile deformation to living cell cultures without measuring mechanical properties, serving specifically as a mechanostimulation platform rather than a mechanical testing device. Use of the MechanoCulture T6 was essential for demonstrating that cyclic stretch acts synergistically with substrate micropatterning to drive sarcomeric alignment, myotube elongation, and maturation, thereby validating the mechanosensitivity of the engineered PDMS culture system.