The article ‘Probing cellular mechanics with Acoustic Force Spectroscopy’ has recently been published in the journal Molecular Biology of the Cell. Congratulations to all the authors on their inspiring research!
Undergoing deformations plays a vital role in the function of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) and could be used as a biomarker, since mechanical changes in cells frequently occur in diseases including cancer and malaria.
Using Acoustic Force Spectroscopy (AFS™), Sorkin et al. developed a new method for probing the mechanical properties of RBCs, with high throughput in real-time. They showed that their method is capable of measuring and quantifying mechanical changes induced by chemical treatments with known effect. Moreover, they examined the effect of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) uptake on RBC mechanics and showed that RBC deformability had increased upon EV treatment.
The AFS™ technology is made commercially available by LUMICKS. Interested in using the AFS™ for your own experiments? Feel free to contact us for a demo or a quote.
