Development of nanoscale acoustic tweezers for mechanobiology application

Mechanobiology addresses the crosstalk between the mechanical function of cells and the biochemical reactions that drive them. Some key examples include the separation of sister chromatids by the spindle apparatus during cell division, reorganization of the cytoskeleton in somatic cells under mechanical stress, and transformation of fibroblasts into stem-cell like states due to physical confinement. Yet, in spite of being fundamental to cells, intracellular forces remain poorly resolved. This is due in part to a lack of non-invasive methods that facilitate such measurements. In this project, we will develop nanoscale acsoutic tweezers (ATZs) for non-invasive intracellular manipulation. ATZs will be applied to study the impact of mechanical deformation of intra-cellular organelles in-situ; for example, the cell nucleus.