On-Chip Dynamic Mechanical Measurement

In this paper, we proposed a novel method of dynamic mechanical measurement of a red blood cell (RBC) in a microfluidic channel. Although dynamic mechanical measurement in a macroscopic scale provides rich information of frequency-dependent viscoelasticity, the methods for on-chip and thus high-throughput measurement in a microscopic scale have never been established. Here, using our on-chip precise position control system for a microscopic target object, we realized periodic cell motion with a specified amplitude and frequency in the microchannel, which provided the amplitude and phase difference in periodic changes of stress and deformed shape under shear flow. Through the measurements with various frequency and amplitude, we succeeded in the evaluation of RBC viscoelasticity that depends on stress frequency and amplitude.