Research Symposium

BIO

Samantha Zussman is a sophomore at Florida State University pursuing a Bachelor of Science on the Pre-Physician Assistant track. She is involved in undergraduate research through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, where she works on projects focused on biomedical engineering and innovative healthcare technologies. Her research explores the 3D bioprinting of soft magnetic microswimmers inspired by bacterial flagella, which have potential applications in targeted drug delivery and other biomedical treatments. Under the mentorship of faculty researchers, Samantha has gained experience in laboratory techniques, data collection, and scientific communication.

In addition to her research involvement, Samantha is engaged in campus leadership and service opportunities that support health sciences and community outreach. Her academic interests center on the intersection of research, medicine, and patient care, and she is particularly interested in how emerging biomedical technologies can improve healthcare outcomes.

After completing her Bachelor of Science, Samantha plans to attend physician assistant school and pursue a career in medicine. She hopes to combine her research background with clinical training to contribute to innovative medical advancements while providing compassionate, patient-centered care.

3D Bioprinting Magnetic Bacterial Flagella-Inspired Micro Swimmers for Biomedical Applications.​

Abstract

3D bioprinting offers new possibilities for creating microscale devices capable of navigating complex biological environments. This project focuses on developing magnetic micro swimmers containing nanoparticles and structurally inspired by bacterial flagella. The structure poses a helical shape capable of controlled motion when exposed to external magnetic fields. Using 2-photon polymerization (2PP) with an UpNano 3D bioprinter and a resin formulated with magnetic nanoparticles, the helical structures were successfully fabricated both on the glass substrate and within the resin to make a volumetric 3D printing across all X, Y and Z axes. Our current work focuses on refining the printing and developing conditions to obtain a solution saturated with intact, free-standing helices suitable for biomedical applications. We are testing a range of printing parameters and solvent materials to determine what conditions best support clean separation and preservation of the helical structure for further testing. We aim to establish a reliable method to produce individual helical micro swimmers that maintain their form outside the printing medium. This research supports the development of magnetic micro swimmers for targeted drug delivery and diagnostics. Establishing dependable fabrication practices contributes to advancing biomedical micro robotics and highlights the potential of 3D bioprinting to create functioning microdevices.

Keywords: Engineering, Bio-medical, medical devices