IIBR Instrumentation: Multiscale Multiplex Nanomechanical Stimulus and Sensing of Living Cells on 3D-Cell Culture

授予罗格斯大学，新泽西的州立大学，开发一个传感平台，以实现快速，宽带纳米机械活细胞映射。通过将该传感平台与扫描探针显微镜（SPM）集成，可以映射三维（3D）细胞培养物上的多个细胞的随时间推移的纳米力学演变。这种传感平台可以用作各种生物学研究中的有力工具，以更好地理解组织重塑中分子信号传导和生物力学物理之间的相关性。该项目的研究成果将通过专利申请、技术演示和生物会议上的介绍以及期刊出版物进行传播。 将组织联合夏季研讨会，向研究生和本科生介绍纳米/生物机械传感。罗格斯大学的成熟项目，如罗格斯大学女工程师协会，将被用来招募代表性不足的学生，包括女性和非裔美国人，包括本科和研究生，并通过开放的实验室参观接触初中和高中学生。该项目的研究目标是实现3D细胞培养的各种纳米力学测量，包括多个细胞的快速和宽带纳米力学特性映射，机械刺激和精确力控制的细胞戳，以及同时的机械刺激和细胞的机械测量。本研究将通过以下四个目标来实现：（一）。一个具有四个自由度（DOF）运动（两个平移和两个旋转）的纳米机械手将被设计和建造，然后集成到SPM系统配备了倒置光学显微镜。（二）.设计并制作一个多自由度的奈米定位平台，以操控悬臂梁探针，并整合至SPM系统中;将开发一套算法以将上述两个操纵器与SPM系统集成，以实现所需的细胞刺激和测量功能;以及（IV）。新的传感平台将通过植物生物学和细胞生物学基准实验中3D细胞培养的时间推移粘弹性映射进行演示和评估。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey to develop a sensing platform to achieve rapid, broadband nanomechanical mapping of live cells. By integrating this sensing platform with a scanning probe microscope (SPM), time-elapsed nanomechanical evolutions of multiple cells on a three-dimensional (3D) cell culture can be mapped. Such a sensing platform can be used as a powerful tool in various biology studies to gain a better understanding of the correlation between molecular signaling and biomechanical physics in tissue remodeling. The research outcomes of this project will be disseminated through patent applications, technical demonstration and presentation in biological conferences, and journal publications. Joint summer workshops will be organized to introduce nano/bio-mechanical sensing to both graduate and undergraduate students. Well-established programs at Rutgers such as the Rutgers Society for Women Engineers will be leveraged to recruit under-represented students including women and African American at both undergraduate and graduate levels, and to reach out to middle- and high- school students through open lab-tours. The research goal of this project is to achieve a wide variety of nanomechanical measurements of a 3D-cell culture, including rapid and broadband nanomechanical property mapping of multiple cells, mechanical stimulus and cell poking with precision force control, and simultaneous mechanical stimuli and mechanical measurement of cells. This research goal will be accomplished through the following four objectives: (I). A nano-manipulator with four degree-of-freedom (DOF) motions (two translational and two rotational) will be designed and built, and then integrated to a SPM system equipped with an inverted optical microscope. (II). A multi DOF nano-positioning stage will be designed and built to manipulate a cantilever probe, and integrated to the SPM system; (III). A suite of algorithms will be developed to integrate the above two manipulators with the SPM system to fulfill the desired cell stimuli and measurement functions; and (IV). The new sensing platform will be demonstrated and evaluated through time-elapsed viscoelasticity mapping of 3D cell culture in plant biology and cell biology benchmark experiments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.