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Updated: May 7, 2026

Isolating Myofibrils from Skeletal Muscle Biopsies and Determining Contractile Function with a Nano-Newton Resolution Force Transducer
Published on: May 7, 2020
Correlation of embryonic skeletal muscle myotube physical characteristics with contractile force generation on an
K L Pirozzi1, C J Long, C W McAleer
1NanoScience Technology Center, University of Central Florida, 12424 Research Parkway, Orlando, Florida 32826, USA.
Abstract:
Rigorous analysis of muscle function in in vitro systems is needed for both acute and chronic biomedical applications. Forces generated by skeletal myotubes on bio-microelectromechanical cantilevers were calculated using a modified version of Stoney's thin-film equation and finite element analysis (FEA), then analyzed for regression to physical parameters. The Stoney's equation results closely matched the more intensive FEA and the force correlated to cross-sectional area (CSA). Normalizing force to measured CSA significantly improved the statistical sensitivity and now allows for close comparison of in vitro data to in vivo measurements for applications in exercise physiology, robotics, and modeling neuromuscular diseases.
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