Dresden 2020 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 17: Poster V
BP 17.21: Poster
Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 14:00–16:00, P2/1OG
High-throughput characterization of the time-dependent mechanical properties of hydrogel beads, liquid droplets and biological cells — •Felix Reichel1,2, Lucas Wittwer1,3, Marta Urbanska1,2, Shada Abuhattum1, Sebastian Aland3, and Jochen Guck1 — 1Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light and Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen — 2Biotechnology Center, Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden — 3Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden, Dresden
In recent years, microfluidic tools have emerged that are capable of characterizing the mechanical properties of hundreds of thousands of cells individually within minutes. These tools, termed deformability cytometry, often focus on the deformation of the cell at a single time point once it has reached steady-state. Because of this, the strain information can only be linked to the elastic response of the deformed object. Here, we extend this approach and analyze the time-dependent deformation of spherical objects over a stress profile to determine their viscoelastic response when flowing through a microfluidic channel. Experiments on standardized hydrogel beads, phase-separated liquid droplets, and biological cells are compared to FEM-simulation data to derive both Young's Modulus and bulk viscosity. The simulations are also used to identify suitable mechanical models to describe the stress-strain relation of these different objects. With our approach we are broadening the mechanical information gained from deformation studies of spherical objects in high-throughput microfluidic assays.