EAPSI: New Method for Characterizing Mechanical Properties of Biological Cells

Cooper Joel R, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

Mechanical properties of cells are extremely important to both tissue engineering and the study and detection of various diseases. In order to develop new ways to repair or replace damaged tissues and organs, researchers in tissue engineering must know the mechanical properties of both individual cells and tissues. Additionally, diseases, like cancer, affect the mechanical properties of native cells. Studying these changes in mechanical properties can lead to the development of early detection devices and new drug delivery mechanisms. This project will develop a new method to characterize the mechanical properties of individual cells. The characterization technique developed will provide a simple, fast, and flexible technique which can be performed using commercially available equipment. Additionally, this new technique will be able to characterize a cell?s natural frequency, a mechanical property which no current measurement technique can determine. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Yasuhisa Hasegawa and his associates in the Micro-Nano Control and Bio-Robotics Laboratory at Nagoya University. Dr. Hasegawa?s lab has the unique expertise and one-of-a-kind equipment necessary for the success of this project. Using the unique nano-manipulation system inside Dr. Hasegawa?s environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM), a single cell will be adhered onto the end of a functionalized tip-less atomic force microscope (AFM) beam. The ESEM can visually verify, in real time, only a single cell adheres to the end of the beam. The beam-cell combination is then transferred to an AFM where the cell is sandwiched between a surface and the AFM beam. In this configuration, a frequency sweep will generate a thermal spectrum consisting of both cell and beam mechanics. Cellular mechanics can then be isolated by comparing the convoluted data to data gathered previously for an isolated cantilever. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science.