Micro/Nanoengineered Platforms for Cell Mechanobiology

M3B Research Initiative

Microenvironmental mechanical cues influence diverse cellular processes, such as cell migration, cell morphology, and stem cell fate decisions. In our lab, we use mechanical engineering methods and micro/nanofabrication processes to create novel technologies at scales that are biologically relevant and advantageous for studying and controlling cellular functions.

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MicroSpring Arrays for Tri-Axial Substrate Control

This project is a collaboration between the M3B Lab and Prof. Shoji Takeuchi’s Biohybrid System Laboratory at the University of Tokyo. For this project, we create arrays of microSprings to facilitate user- control over the “tri-axial” stiffness of discrete, microscale substrate features for cellular applications. In contrast to micropost arrays, which are inherently limited to “bi-axial” stiffness control, microSpring arrays enable researchers to geometrically tune the x-, y-, and z-axis stiffness of each microSpring.

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Selected Publications

  1. Ryan D. Sochol, Adrienne T. Higa, Randall Janairo, Song Li and Liwei Lin, Unidirectional Mechanical Cellular Stimuli via Micropost Array Gradients, Soft Matter, Vol. 7, pp. 4606-4609, 2011. (Inside Front Cover Image / Selected as a “Hot Article”)
  2. Ryan D. Sochol, Adrienne T. Higa, Randall R. R. Janairo, Song Li and Liwei Lin, Effects of Micropost Spacing and Stiffness on Cell Motility, Micro & Nano Letters, Vol. 6, pp. 323-326, 2011.
  3. (ORAL) Ryan D. Sochol†, Adrienne T. Higa†, Randall R.R. Janairo, Annie Chou, Song Li and Liwei Lin “Unidirectional Cellular Durotaxis via Microfabricated Posts of Varying Anisotropy,” The 15th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems, pp. 604-607, Denver, June 21-25, 2009. † These authors contributed equally to the manuscript.
  4. (ORAL) Ryan D. Sochol, Adrienne T. Higa, Randall R. R. Janairo, Kedar G. Shah, Terry D. Johnson, Song Li and Liwei Lin, Microscale Control of Micropost Stiffness to Induce Cellular Durotaxis, Proc. of the 12th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences (MicroTAS 2008), San Diego, CA, USA, October 12-16, 2008.