Ultra-thin film wrinkle assay to visualize and evaluate the cell traction force

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H06627
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Biomedical engineering/Biomaterial science and engineering
• Research Institution: Tokai University
• Principal Investigator: Yokoyama Sho 東海大学, マイクロ・ナノ研究開発センター, 特定研究員 (30760425)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: Traction force / TFM / Wrinkle / Contractile / Drug efficacy evaluation

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The experimental method of measuring cell traction force (the force of cells to pull extracellular matrix and another cells) is called traction force microscopy (TFM). The dynamic mechanical behavior of cell-ECM and cell-cell interactions is known to influence a vast range of cellular functions, including necrosis, differentiation, adhesion, migration, locomotion, and growth. TFM can clarify the unique functions and properties of cells, contribute to the development of cell biology, qualitatively evaluate the response of cells to chemicals, and be applied to large-scale screening work for drug discovery.
In this research, we aimed for superior TFM than the conventional method and developed a novel cell traction force evaluation method using "wrinkle" generated on gold ultra-thin film. We realized visualization of the size and direction of the cell traction force and carried out basic analysis to quantify the cell traction force.

Free Research Field

生体医工学