A uniaxial bioMEMS device for quantitative force-displacement measurements.
There is a need for experimental techniques that allow the simultaneous imaging of cellular cystoskeletal components with quantitative force measurements on single cells. A bioMEMS device has been developed for the application of strain to a single cell while simultaneously quantifying its force response. The prototype device presented here allows the mechanical study of a single, adherent cell in vitro. The device works in a fashion similar to a displacement-controlled uniaxial tensile machine. The device is calibrated using an AFM cantilever and shows excellent agreement with the calculated spring constant. The device is demonstrated on a single fibroblast. The force response of the cell is seen to be linear until the onset of de-adhesion with the de-adhesion from the cell platform occurring at a force of approximately 1500 nN.
Serrell
David B
DB
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, CO, USA. serrell@colorado.edu
Oreskovic
Tammy L
TL
Slifka
Andrew J
AJ
Mahajan
Roop L
RL
Finch
Dudley S
DS
D000818:Animals; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D006224:Cricetinae; D004548:Elasticity; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D008904:Miniaturization; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013718:Tensile Strength; D014159:Transducers