(J-365) In-Plane Tissue Stretcher with Force Characterization and Optical Capabilities

Introduction:: Current in vitro 3D cell culture platforms used to study cell response to mechanical stimuli require seeding cells on synthetic materials, thereby failing to capture the effect of extracellular matrix proteins on cellular adhesion and signaling pathways. Further, characterizing material response to mechanical stimulation while imaging biological materials remains a challenging endeavor for the field of tissue engineering. Here, we developed a simple, cost-effective, uni-axial stretching platform with high-resolution force sensing capabilities tailored for microscopy cell culture experiments. The platform can apply a constant tensile load, or a cyclic load depending on the dynamics of the physiological condition being modelled.

Materials and Methods:: We designed a cost-effective and simple 2D axial tissue stretcher able to record changes in mechanical properties over time. Biological substrates, including hydrogels and fibril networks, are coated onto a PDMS structure in between a designed gap. The system can stretch the structure to provide the appropriate strain to the biological substrate, as well as measure force with high resolution with its integrated sensor, while being imaged via microscopy. In addition to being used to determine the properties of tissue, the device can also be used as a 3D culture platform for live cell imaging to determine cellular response to mechanical stimulation.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions:: Our system has demonstrated it can determine the material properties of hydrogels, tissues, and fibril networks, as well as be used as a 3D culture platform for cell experiments. We have shown real time force measurements can be recorded while optically measuring strain, allowing us to characterize biological substrates, including fibronectin (Fig. 1). This platform is versatile and may be applied to a variety of experiments, from simple mechanical characterization to comparing the impact cells have on different substrates.

Acknowledgements (Optional): : We would like to thank Metavivor for their support for the project.

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