title: Simple measurement of the apparent viscosity of a cell from only one picture: Application to cardiac stem cells.
abstract: Mechanical deformability of cells is a key property that influences their ability to migrate and their contribution to tissue development and regeneration. We analyze here the possibility of characterizing the overall deformability of cells by their apparent viscosity, using a simplified method to estimate that parameter. The proposed method simplifies the quantitative analysis of micropipette-aspiration experiments. We have studied by this procedure the overall apparent viscosity of cardiac stem cells, which are considered a promising tool to regenerate damaged cardiac tissue. Comparison with the apparent viscosity of low-viscosity cells such as immune-system cells suggests that treatments to reduce the viscosity of these cells could enhance their ability to repair damaged cardiac tissue.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Plaza
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Marí
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Cardiology, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Gálvez
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Cardiology, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, 28029 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Guinea
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Daza
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez-Rigueiro
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Solanas
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Technology, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain and Departamento de Ciencia de Materiales, ETSI de Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elices