Cell force assay as an interface between engineering and science in cell biology

Abstract

Recent progress in understanding the essential roles of mechanical forces in regulating various cellular functions expands the field of biology to one where interdisciplinary approaches with mechanical engineering techniques become indispensable. Cellular traction forces (CTF) - that are present in proliferative cells including cancer cells due to the activity of ubiquitous nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) - are one of such mechanical forces (or signal regulators), but because NMII works downstream of diverse signaling pathways, it is often difficult to predict how the CTF changes upon perturbations to particular molecules such as gene mutations and drugs. Here I will talk about our unique bioengineering technology with a high-throughput data analysis capability to determine whether the endogenous CTF is upregulated or downregulated.