Collaborative Research: Development of a High Speed Cell Mechanical Property Testing Cytometer

基于特定特征识别某种细胞类型，根据细胞差异分离细胞混合物，以及研究特定特征随细胞环境的变化是生物学研究中的重要技术。虽然细胞的各种生化标志物已被广泛使用了几十年，但生物力学特性如细胞刚度越来越被认为是细胞类型和生理状态的重要指标。细胞的机械性质由细胞膜、细胞骨架和细胞体积定义，并且可能与基本特征相关，包括类型、生长、分化阶段和对环境的反应。现有的机械表征工具，但是，只能检查几个细胞在同一时间，严重限制了他们的效用和应用程序，由于低吞吐量与顺序隔离和探测个别cells.在这里，高吞吐量的方法将开发，其中基于光学的机械？伸展运动在微流体装置中向细胞施加力。在这个为期3年的项目结束时，将建立一个能够快速测量细胞力学特性的设备，并在牛血细胞、血管细胞和人类HeLa细胞上进行测试。预计将产生一些更广泛的影响，包括为本科生提供新的研究机会，在高中一级提供新的教学机会，以及为科罗拉多州内代表性不足的群体提供新的招聘工作。

Identifying a certain cell type based on a specific signature, separating cell mixtures according to cellular differences, and studying changes in a specific signature with cell environments are important techniques in biological research. While various biochemical markers of cells have been extensively used for decades, biomechanical properties such as cell stiffness are increasingly recognized as an important indicator of cell type and physiological state. The mechanical properties of cells are defined by the membrane, cytoskeleton and the volume of the cell, and are likely associated with basic characteristics including type, growth, stage of differentiation, and response to the environment. Existing mechanical characterization tools, however, can only examine a few cells at a time, severely limiting their utility and application due to the low throughput associated with the sequential isolation and probing of individual cells.Here, a high-throughput method will be developed, where optical-based mechanical ?stretching? forces are applied to cells in microfluidic devices. By the end of this 3-year project, a device capable of the rapid measurement of cell mechanical properties will be built and tested on bovine blood cells, vascular cells, and human HeLa cells. A number of broader impacts are expected including providing new research opportunities for undergraduate students, new teaching opportunities at the high-school level, and new recruitment efforts for underrepresented groups within the state of Colorado.