A micro-mechanical compliant device for individual cell-stretching, compression, and in-situ force-measurement

We describe the fabrication, characterization and operation of a microfabricated, overhanging micromachined SU-8 device that can stretch and compress individual cells. This compliant device is composed of folded beams with a single actuation point. Upon actuation with a glass micropipette attached to an XYZ positioner, it can apply varying deformation to multiple cells simultaneously. The applied force is computed using the measured displacement of the compliant device. Cell-attachment is achieved by simply adding a suspension of cells on the device. The stiffness of the device was designed such that cells can deform the beams they are attached to. Measuring this deformation in the absence of actuation allows for quantifying the forces exerted by the cells with a resolution of 0.18 μN.