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Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Mechano-Node-Pore Sensing: A Rapid, Label-Free Platform for Multi-Parameter Single-Cell Viscoelastic Measurements
Published on: December 2, 2022
Visco-Node-Pore Sensing: A Microfluidic Rheology Platform to Characterize Viscoelastic Properties of Epithelial Cells
Junghyun Kim1, Brian Li2, Olivia J Scheideler2
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Viscoelastic properties of cells provide valuable information regarding biological or clinically relevant cellular characteristics. Here, we introduce a new, electronic-based, microfluidic platform-visco-node-pore sensing (visco-NPS)-which quantifies cellular viscoelastic properties under periodic deformation. We measure the storage (G') and loss (G″) moduli (i.e., elasticity and viscosity, respectively) of cells. By applying a wide range of deformation frequencies, our platform quantifies the frequency dependence of viscoelastic properties. G' and G″ measurements show that the viscoelastic properties of malignant breast epithelial cells (MCF-7) are distinctly different from those of non-malignant breast epithelial cells (MCF-10A). With its sensitivity, visco-NPS can dissect the individual contributions of different cytoskeletal components to whole-cell mechanical properties. Moreover, visco-NPS can quantify the mechanical transitions of cells as they traverse the cell cycle or are initiated into an epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Visco-NPS identifies viscoelastic characteristics of cell populations, providing a biophysical understanding of cellular behavior and a potential for clinical applications.
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