Measuring the force of cells

Researchers in Jena and Bremen have developed a sensor to measure the force with which migrating cells push themselves away from an underlying surface.

Force analysis devices like these could one day help to identify specific cell types more reliably than conventional methods.

The sensor itself consists of a smooth surface that is studded with 250,000 tiny plastic columns measuring only five microns in diameter.

The columns are made of elastic polyurethane plastic. When a cell glides across them, it bends them sideways, and the deflection is registered by a digital camera and analysed by a software program.

'Analysis of cell locomotion is important for numerous applications,' said project manager Dr Norbert Danz. 'It could be used to check whether bone cells are successfully populating an implant, or how well a wound is healing.'

For his part in the research effort, Dr Danz, from the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering in Jena, had the task of adapting a microscope so that it could deliver exactly the right cell magnification for the application.