Selection of Force Sensors for <i>In Situ</i> Measurement of Neotissue Microenvironments.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical forces are a critical stimulus in both native and engineered tissues. Direct measurement of these microenvironmental forces has been challenging, particularly for cell-dense models. To address this, we previously developed hydrogel-based force sensors that are approximately the size of a cell and can be imaged over time to computationally assess the forces exerted by surrounding cells and matrix. The goal of this project was to identify how the physical characteristics of force sensors impact measurements. Sensors were varied in size, elastic modulus, and surface coating before being included in stem cell suspensions that then spontaneously self-assembled into spheroidal neotissues. Using this model of early mesenchymal condensation, we hypothesized that larger, softer sensors w

SUBMITTER: Rodriguez Navas M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11971539 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature