title: Probing Cell Deformability via Acoustically Actuated Bubbles.
abstract: An acoustically actuated, bubble-based technique is developed to investigate the deformability of cells suspended in microfluidic devices. A microsized bubble is generated by an optothermal effect near the targeted cells, which are suspended in a microfluidic chamber. Subsequently, acoustic actuation is employed to create localized acoustic streaming. In turn, the streaming flow results in hydrodynamic forces that deform the cells in situ. The deformability of the cells is indicative of their mechanical properties. The method in this study measures mechanical biomarkers from multiple cells in a single experiment, and it can be conveniently integrated with other bioanalysis and drug-screening platforms. Using this technique, the mean deformability of tens of HeLa, HEK, and HUVEC cells is measured to distinguish their mechanical properties. HeLa cells are deformed upon treatment with Cytochalasin. The technique also reveals the deformability of each subpopulation in a mixed, heterogeneous cell sample by the use of both fluorescent markers and mechanical biomarkers. The technique in this study, apart from being relevant to cell biology, will also enable biophysical cellular diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Yuliang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Nitesh
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nama
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Zhangming
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Po-Hsun
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics & Electro-Optics Program, University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, 45469, USA.
authors.forename: Chenglong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.|Center for Neural Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Costanzo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.|Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.
authors.forename: Tony Jun
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena / Q000187:drug effects; D015638:Cytochalasin D / Q000494:pharmacology; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006367:HeLa Cells; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D045423:Microbubbles
chemical_list: D015638:Cytochalasin D
keywords: acoustic streaming; acoustically actuated bubbles; cell deformability; microfluidics; optothermal effects