Mechanofluorescent Surfaces for Understanding Complex Cell Traction Forces

该项目旨在开发直接量化表面力的压力传感表面，专注于测量复杂的细胞牵引力。了解细胞牵引力是开发再生医学新材料的关键挑战。这些表面由荧光聚合物刷子组成，预计将提供关于单个和聚集的细胞力的直接信息，这可以揭示细胞如何相互作用的新见解。这可能提供了目前缺失的关于细胞-表面相互作用力如何调节细胞生长、分化和组织形成的信息。这种洞察力对于提供支撑科学至关重要，这些科学可以将澳大利亚定位于再生医学的前沿。

This project aims to develop pressure-sensing surfaces that directly quantify surface forces, focused towards measuring complex cell traction forces. Understanding cell traction forces is a crucial challenge towards developing new materials for regenerative medicine. The surfaces, consisting of fluorescent polymer brushes, are expected to provide direct information on singular and clustered cell forces, which can reveal new insight into how cells interact together. This may provide currently missing information on how cell-surface interaction forces modulate cell growth, differentiation and tissue formation. This insight is crucial to providing the underpinning science that can position Australia at the forefront of regenerative medicine.