High-throughput mechanophenotyping of multicellular spheroids using a microfluidic micropipette aspiration chip.

ABSTRACT: Cell spheroids are in vitro multicellular model systems that mimic the crowded micro-environment of biological tissues. Their mechanical characterization can provide valuable insights in how single-cell mechanics and cell-cell interactions control tissue mechanics and self-organization. However, most measurement techniques are limited to probing one spheroid at a time, require specialized equipment and are difficult to handle. Here, we developed a microfluidic chip that follows the concept of glass capillary micropipette aspiration in order to quantify the viscoelastic behavior of spheroids in an easy-to-handle, more high-throughput manner. Spheroids are loaded in parallel pockets via a gentle flow, after which spheroid tongues are aspirated into adjacent aspiration channels

SUBMITTER: Boot RC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10045894 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature