TY  - JOUR
AU  - Cesa, C. M.
AU  - Kirchgeßner, N.
AU  - Mayer, D.
AU  - Schwarz, U. S.
AU  - Hoffmann, B.
AU  - Merkel, R.
TI  - Micropatterned silicon elastomer for high resolution analysis of cell force patterns
JO  - Review of scientific instruments
VL  - 78
SN  - 0034-6748
CY  - [S.l.]
PB  - American Institute of Physics
M1  - PreJuSER-57094
SP  - 034301
PY  - 2007
N1  - Record converted from VDB: 12.11.2012
AB  - Cellular forces are closely related to many physiological processes, including cell migration, growth, division, and differentiation. Here, we describe newly developed techniques to measure these forces with high spatial resolution. Our approach is based on ultrasoft silicone elastomer films with a regular microstructure molded into the surface. Mechanical forces applied by living cells to such films result in elastomer deformation which can be quantified by video microscopy and digital image processing. From this deformation field forces can be calculated. Here we give detailed accounts of the following issues: (1) the preparation of silicon wafers as molds for the microstructures, (2) the fabrication of microstructured elastomer substrates, (3) the in-depth characterization of the mechanical properties of these elastomers, (4) the image processing algorithms for the extraction of cellular deformation fields, and (5) the generalized first moment tensor as a robust mathematical tool to characterize whole cell activity. We present prototype experiments on living myocytes as well as on cardiac fibroblasts and discuss the characteristics and performance of our force measurement technique.
KW  - Cell Adhesion
KW  - Cell Physiological Phenomena
KW  - Mechanics
KW  - Microscopy: methods
KW  - Silicone Elastomers: chemistry
KW  - Silicone Elastomers (NLM Chemicals)
KW  - J (WoSType)
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
C6  - pmid:17411201
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000245320800032
DO  - DOI:10.1063/1.2712870
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/57094
ER  -