Bridging cell and tissue mechanics using microfluidics

Abstract

The human body is a construction site brimming with internal processes that steer our senses, heal our wounds and make us age. If tissues and organs are scaffolds, then cells are the bricks. Sticking to each other, these minuscule "water balloon-esque" containers filled with proteins are charged with a multitude of tasks. Think about cell division, growth and migration, requiring the cells to change shape when they either generate or are themselves subjected to physical forces. This deformational response, termed cell mechanics, is directly related to the properties of tissues as a whole. Tissue mechanics plays an essential part in initial stages of life as well as in the development of diseases such as cancer. Think about tissues wrapping around each other during embryo growth, or cells leaving a primary tumour to metastasize through the body. Studying tissue mechanics and its dependency on cellular properties therefore forms the key topic in this dissertation....