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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Probing Device for Quantitatively Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues during Arthroscopy
06:16

A Probing Device for Quantitatively Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues during Arthroscopy

Published on: May 1, 2020

A simple indentation device for measuring micrometer-scale tissue stiffness.

I Levental1, K R Levental, E A Klein

  • 1Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Journal of Physics. Condensed Matter : an Institute of Physics Journal
|March 10, 2011
PubMed
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Soft matter·2020

A new device measures mechanical properties of tissues at the micrometer to millimeter scale. This innovation allows for detailed analysis of tissue stiffness and heterogeneity, crucial for understanding various biological functions and diseases.

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Materials Science
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Cell and extracellular matrix mechanical properties are vital for biological functions.
  • Existing instrumentation struggles to measure mechanical properties at intermediate length scales (micrometers to millimeters) in heterogeneous tissues.
  • This gap limits understanding of tissue mechanics in disease contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate a novel device for measuring mechanical properties of soft biological samples at sub-millimeter spatial resolution.
  • To address the limitations of current instrumentation in probing tissue heterogeneity at intermediate length scales.
  • To enable quantitative mechanical measurements in biologically relevant, in vivo-like conditions.

Main Methods:

  • The device integrates a micronewton resolution force probe with a micromanipulator.

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Micropipette Aspiration of Substrate-attached Cells to Estimate Cell Stiffness

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 3, 2026

A Probing Device for Quantitatively Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues during Arthroscopy
06:16

A Probing Device for Quantitatively Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Soft Tissues during Arthroscopy

Published on: May 1, 2020

Measuring the Stiffness of Ex Vivo Mouse Aortas Using Atomic Force Microscopy
10:35

Measuring the Stiffness of Ex Vivo Mouse Aortas Using Atomic Force Microscopy

Published on: October 19, 2016

Micropipette Aspiration of Substrate-attached Cells to Estimate Cell Stiffness
10:31

Micropipette Aspiration of Substrate-attached Cells to Estimate Cell Stiffness

Published on: September 27, 2012

  • It allows for probing soft biological samples with sub-millimeter spatial resolution.
  • Applications included measurements on mouse glomeruli, aortas, mammary glands, and rat livers.

    • Main Results:

    • The device successfully measured the stiffness of intact mouse glomeruli and quantified stiffness in mouse aortas (healthy vs. diseased).
    • Lateral heterogeneity in stiffness was evaluated in mouse mammary glands and rat livers.
    • This heterogeneity correlated with malignant or fibrotic pathology, as confirmed by histology.

    Conclusions:

    • The developed device provides a new capability for quantitative mechanical characterization of biological tissues at intermediate length scales.
    • It enables the study of tissue mechanical heterogeneity and its correlation with disease pathology.
    • This technology has broad applications in biophysics, regenerative medicine, and disease research.