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

合作研究：开发高速细胞机械性能测试细胞仪

• 批准号: 0852868
• 负责人: David W. Marr
• 金额: $ 33.88万
• 依托单位: Colorado School of Mines
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-05-01 至 2013-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0852868&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Development; Speed; Cell

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.

根据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广泛使用数十年，但细胞硬度等生物力学特性越来越被认为是细胞类型和生理状态的重要指标。 细胞的机械特性由细胞膜、细胞骨架和细胞体积决定，并且可能与类型、生长、分化阶段和对环境的反应等基本特征相关。 然而，现有的机械表征工具一次只能检查几个细胞，由于与单个细胞的顺序分离和探测相关的低通量，严重限制了它们的实用性和应用。在这里，将开发一种高通量方法，其中基于光学的机械“拉伸”？力施加到微流体装置中的细胞上。在这个为期 3 年的项目结束时，将建造出一种能够快速测量细胞机械特性的装置，并在牛血细胞、血管细胞和人类 HeLa 细胞上进行测试。预计会产生一些更广泛的影响，包括为本科生提供新的研究机会、高中阶段的新教学机会以及为科罗拉多州代表性不足的群体提供新的招聘工作。