Regensburg 2019 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 6: Poster I
BP 6.47: Poster
Monday, April 1, 2019, 17:30–19:30, Poster B2
Traction force microscopy of HAELVI cells on silicone gel substrate — •Susan Tavakoli1, Kay-E. Gottschalk1, Manfred Frick2, Kathrin Diem2, Eric Dufresne3, and Kathryn Anne Rosowski3 — 1Institute for Experimental Physics, Ulm University, Germany — 2Institute of General Physiology, Ulm University, Germany — 3Soft and living Materials, ETH Zürich, Switzerland
Cells interact with their environment in different ways, chemically and mechanically. Through various interactions, cells exert forces on their substrate or adjacent cells. Quantifying these forces under different environmental changes have been the subject of many studies. The method of measuring these forces - known as Traction Force Microscopy, calculates the forces based on the deformation made by cell on a highly flexible substrate that is measurable by tracking the displacement of fluorescent beads attached to the surface. We make the substrates from a biocompatible polymer gel known as Polydimethylsiloxane (PDSM) that has a very low stiffness and its transparency facilitates microscopy. Briefly, a glass coverslip is covered with a uniform layer of the gel using spin-coating technique then a layer of fluorescent beads covers the surface of the gel. We use a matlab code that calculates the forces using the geometry and mechanical characteristics of the gel and the beads displacements to quantify traction forces of HAELVI cells under normal condition as well as treatment with Blebbistatin. Our aim will be to combine this method with a stretcher device, simulating the breathing function to study lung epithelial cells.