Physics (Internal)

Development of optical moiré based micro and nano biomechano sensor

This event is part of the Biophysics/Condensed Matter Seminar Series.

Abstract:

The mechanical interaction of cells with their extracellular matrix (ECM) is fundamentally important for cell division, phagocytosis, apoptosis and migration. It is therefore a crucial factor in physiological processes such as development and wound healing. Bidirectional chemical and mechanical signals between cells and their ECM result in the regulation of cellular processes and the remodeling of the extracellular environment. Over the past few decades, the development of micro and nanotechnology has enabled breakthroughs in understanding and quantifying the role of cell traction forces and their effects on the surrounding matrix. Our objective is to develop an optical mechanical system to provide a convenient and versatile visual tool for mapping cell/substrate mechanical interactions. The premise of this work is that the optical moiré interface will provide a real-time, whole-field force mapping of mechanical interactions between cells and their environment. Given the unique properties of optical moiré techniques (i.e., its automatic displacement and strain contouring by its magnification effect for small strains and displacements and sophisticated fringe analysis) this approach would be an improvement over existing technologies, since it can be integrated with all existing cell traction force measurement substrates and provide a direct contour map of the displacement and strain distribution without tracking individual sensing units.