Department of Aerospace Engineering

MW Mechanics Seminar Series in Aerospace Engineering: W. Ravichandran, Cal Tech; "Quantitative Characterization of 3-D Deformation in Soft Materials during Cell Motility"

 

This seminar will be held at 1:10 pm on 3/26/08 in 1235 Howe Hall.

Quantitative Characterization of 3-D Deformation in Soft Materials
 during Cell Motility
G. Ravichandran
Division of Engineering and Applied Science
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California 

The interactions between biochemical processes and mechanical signaling during cell migration, spreading and other cellular processes appear to play an important role in cellular behavior. Three-dimensional measurement techniques are needed to investigate cellular behavior to simulate the in vivo conditions. A three-dimensional (3-D) full-field measurement technique has been developed for measuring large deformations in soft materials and validated. The technique utilizes a digital volume correlation (DVC) algorithm to track motions of sub-volumes within 3-D images obtained using laser fluorescence confocal microscopy. The results show that the proposed technique is well-suited for investigating cell-extra cellular matrix mechanical interactions as well as for obtaining local constitutive properties of soft biomaterials in 3-D. Results from investigating the motility of fibroblast cells on polyacrylamide gels and an artificial extracellular matrix (aECM) and their implications are discussed.
 
Ravichandran flyer

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