Research using mechanics and physics could predict diseases that 'stress out' cells
Researchers at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering have discovered a new way to identify the state of individual cells by bringing principles of mechanical engineering and physics to bear on processes that are now well understood at the macro level, but not yet at the cellular level. … The team, led by Weiqiang Chen, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and of biomedical engineering, and Vittoria Flamini, industry assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, used live cell imaging and a novel micro-mechanical tool to apply a transient, local physical stress on cells while simultaneously measuring dynamic allostatic responses and the tension of the cells' cytoskeleton (CSK) and other cellular structures, cellular energies.
