Technology assessment and feasibility study of high-throughput single cell force spectroscopy

Abstract

In the last decade, the field of single cell mechanics has emerged with the development of high resolution experimental and computational methods, providing significant amount of information about individual cells instead of the averaged characteristics provided by classical assays from large populations of cells. These single cell mechanical properties correlate closely with the intracellular organelle arrangement and organization, which are determined by load bearing cytoskeleton network comprised of biommolecules. This thesis will assess the feasibility of a high throughput single cell force spectroscopy using an atomic force microscopy (AFM)-based platform. A conventional AFM set-up employs a single cantilever probe for force measurement by using laser to detect the deflection of the cantilever structure, and usually can only handle one cell at a time. To improve the throughput of the device, a modified scheme to make use of cantilever based array is proposed and studied in this project. In addition, to complement the use of AFM array, a novel cell chip design is also presented for the fine positioning of cells in coordination with AFM cantilevers. The advantages and challenges of the system are analyzed too. To assess the feasibility of developing this technology, the commercialization possibility is discussed with intellectual property research, market analysis, cost modeling and supply chain positioning. Conclusion about this technology and its market prospect is drawn at the end of the thesis.