Cells lying on a bed of microneedles: An approach to isolate mechanical force

We describe an approach to manipulate and measure mechanical interactions between cells and their underlying substrates by using microfabricated arrays of elastomeric, microneedle-like posts. By controlling the geometry of the posts, we varied the compliance of the substrate while holding other surface properties constant. Cells attached to, spread across, and deflected multiple posts. The deflections of the posts occurred independently of neighboring posts and, therefore, directly reported the subcellular distribution of traction forces. We report two classes of force-supporting adhesions that exhibit distinct force-size relationships. Force increased with size of adhesions for adhesions larger than 1…

• OO
  Office of Naval Research
• NI
  National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering

  Award: EB00262