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Griffith JE, Chen Y, Liu Q, Wang Q, Richards JJ, Tullman-Ercek D, Shull KR, Wang M. Quantitative high-throughput measurement of bulk mechanical properties using commonly available equipment. MATERIALS HORIZONS 2023; 10:97-106. [PMID: 36305296 DOI: 10.1039/d2mh01064j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Machine learning approaches have introduced an urgent need for large datasets of materials properties. However, for mechanical properties, current high-throughput measurement methods typically require complex robotic instrumentation, with enormous capital costs that are inaccessible to most experimentalists. A quantitative high-throughput method using only common lab equipment and consumables with simple fabrication steps is long desired. Here, we present such a technique that can measure bulk mechanical properties in soft materials with a common laboratory centrifuge, multiwell plates, and microparticles. By applying a homogeneous force on the particles embedded inside samples in the multiwell plate using centrifugation, we show that our technique measures the fracture stress of gels with similar accuracy to a rheometer. However, our method has a throughput on the order of 103 samples per run and is generalizable to virtually all soft material systems. We hope that our method can expedite materials discovery and potentially inspire the future development of additional high-throughput characterization methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin E Griffith
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Yusu Chen
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Qingsong Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Qifeng Wang
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Jeffrey J Richards
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Danielle Tullman-Ercek
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
| | - Kenneth R Shull
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA
| | - Muzhou Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois 60208, USA.
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Burla F, Sentjabrskaja T, Pletikapic G, van Beugen J, Koenderink GH. Particle diffusion in extracellular hydrogels. SOFT MATTER 2020; 16:1366-1376. [PMID: 31939987 DOI: 10.1039/c9sm01837a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid is an abundant polyelectrolyte in the human body that forms extracellular hydrogels in connective tissues. It is essential for regulating tissue biomechanics and cell-cell communication, yet hyaluronan overexpression is associated with pathological situations such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. Due to its enormous molecular weight (in the range of millions of Daltons), accumulation of hyaluronan hinders transport of macromolecules including nutrients and growth factors through tissues and also hampers drug delivery. However, the exact contribution of hyaluronan to tissue penetrability is poorly understood due to the complex structure and molecular composition of tissues. Here we reconstitute biomimetic hyaluronan gels and systematically investigate the effects of gel composition and crosslinking on the diffusion of microscopic tracer particles. We combine ensemble-averaged measurements via differential dynamic microscopy with single-particle tracking. We show that the particle diffusivity depends on the particle size relative to the network pore size and also on the stress relaxation dynamics of the network. We furthermore show that addition of collagen, the other major biopolymer in tissues, causes the emergence of caged particle dynamics. Our findings are useful for understanding macromolecular transport in tissues and for designing biomimetic extracellular matrix hydrogels for drug delivery and tissue regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Burla
- AMOLF, Department of Living Matter, Biological Soft Matter group, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Shao C, Cribb J, Osborne LD, O'Brien ET, Superfine R, Mayer‐Patel K, Taylor RM. Analysis‐aware microscopy video compression. Microsc Res Tech 2018; 81:693-703. [DOI: 10.1002/jemt.23025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chong Shao
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill North Carolina
| | - Jeremy Cribb
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill North Carolina
| | - Lukas D. Osborne
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill North Carolina
| | | | - Richard Superfine
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill North Carolina
| | - Ketan Mayer‐Patel
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill North Carolina
| | - Russell M. Taylor
- University of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill North Carolina
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Cribb JA, Osborne LD, Beicker K, Psioda M, Chen J, O'Brien ET, Taylor Ii RM, Vicci L, Hsiao JPL, Shao C, Falvo M, Ibrahim JG, Wood KC, Blobe GC, Superfine R. An Automated High-throughput Array Microscope for Cancer Cell Mechanics. Sci Rep 2016; 6:27371. [PMID: 27265611 PMCID: PMC4893602 DOI: 10.1038/srep27371] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2016] [Accepted: 05/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in cellular mechanical properties correlate with the progression of metastatic cancer along the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Few high-throughput methodologies exist that measure cell compliance, which can be used to understand the impact of genetic alterations or to screen the efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents. We have developed a novel array high-throughput microscope (AHTM) system that combines the convenience of the standard 96-well plate with the ability to image cultured cells and membrane-bound microbeads in twelve independently-focusing channels simultaneously, visiting all wells in eight steps. We use the AHTM and passive bead rheology techniques to determine the relative compliance of human pancreatic ductal epithelial (HPDE) cells, h-TERT transformed HPDE cells (HPNE), and four gain-of-function constructs related to EMT. The AHTM found HPNE, H-ras, Myr-AKT, and Bcl2 transfected cells more compliant relative to controls, consistent with parallel tests using atomic force microscopy and invasion assays, proving the AHTM capable of screening for changes in mechanical phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy A Cribb
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Lukas D Osborne
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Kellie Beicker
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Matthew Psioda
- Department of Biostatistics, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC United States of America
| | - Jian Chen
- Department of Medicine and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - E Timothy O'Brien
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Russell M Taylor Ii
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America.,Department of Computer Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Leandra Vicci
- Department of Computer Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Joe Ping-Lin Hsiao
- Department of Computer Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Chong Shao
- Department of Computer Science, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Michael Falvo
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
| | - Joseph G Ibrahim
- Department of Biostatistics, The Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kris C Wood
- Department of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University, 450 Research Drive, Durham, NC 27710, United States of America
| | - Gerard C Blobe
- Department of Medicine and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Richard Superfine
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United States of America
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