Mechanical manipulation and characterization of biological cells - a micro/nanorobotics and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) approach

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Advances in biology and medicine require enabling techniques for mechanically manipulating cells and characterizing cellular properties at a high speed. The lack of these techniques is a barrier to areas such as genetic research, molecule screening, and disease diagnosis utilizing biophysical differences between normal and malignant cells. Compared with biochemical techniques, mechanical techniques for manipulating and characterizing biological cells are largely under explored. This research program will develop innovative tools, systems, and techniques for mechanically manipulating and characterizing single cells, pursuing three major strategic directions, namely: (1) high-speed microrobotic cell injection for molecule/gene screening; (2) nanorobotic manipulation of sub-cellular structures within scanning electron microsopes for cancer gene mapping; and (3) high-speed mechanical characterization of normal and malignant cells for disease diagnosis.