Berlin 2018 – wissenschaftliches Programm

Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 10: Postersession II

BP 10.32: Poster

Montag, 12. März 2018, 17:30–19:30, Poster C

Elasto-Tweezers: A novel platform for high-precision cell elasticity measurements — •Sebastian Knust¹, Andy Sischka², Hendrik Milting³, Bastien Venzac⁴, Séverine Le Gac⁴, Elwin Vrouwe⁵, and Dario Anselmetti¹ — ¹Experimental Biophysics and Applied Nanoscience, Faculty of Physics, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany — ²Ionovation GmbH, Osnabrück, Germany — ³Heart and Diabetes Center NRW, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany — ⁴Amber, MESA⁺ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands — ⁵Micronit Microtechnologies B.V., Enschede, The Netherlands

The correct mechano-elastic properties of human cells are essential for their health and function. However, certain diseases like some cancers and cardiomyopathies alter those properties. High-throughput and high-resolution measurements of cell elasticities can therefore be used to provide insights into the pathomechanisms of these diseases.

We are able to directly measure both the forces applied to the cell with piconewton resolution and the cell deformation with sub-micrometre resolution by using a dual-beam optical tweezers setup with video-based force detection and coupling of functionalised beads to the cell surface. This allows all elasticity measurements with superior resolution compared to other techniques like optical stretchers.

To achieve high-throughput measurements, this novel setup will be combined with custom-designed microfluidical cartridges to facilitate automated and reliable formation of cell-bead complexes to perform completely automated measurements of up to 600 cells per hour.