| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/S13415/01 |
| Title: |
Tactile Sense of Cells Investigated by Microfabricated Surface Rigidity |
| Principal Investigator: |
Riehle, Dr MO |
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| Department: |
Infection & Immunity |
| Organisation: |
University of Glasgow |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
22 June 2003 |
Ends: |
21 October 2006 |
Value (£): |
271,748
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| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Ever since cells were first isolated in culture, researchers have exploited materials' properties and shapes to guide cells and to investigate cell guidance. Directional guidance of cells is critical for normal embryo- and tissue-genesis, for wound healing and for tissue regeneration but also features in the development of pathology (eg cancer metastasis). Directional guidance is dependent upon the capacity of cells to sense their environment A key element of directional guidance is likely to be the ability of cells to probe a substrate's surface and to identify and respond to the substrate's mechanical properties. Recently this has been termed durotaxis. Our laboratory has developed a technique that allows the fabrication of mechanical surface properties with high lateral accuracy. The proposed research will use these microfabricated surface rigidity landscapes and appropriate pharmacological interventions to investigate the mechanisms that enable cells to sense mechanical surface properties. By using these structures together with a novel microscopic technique to measure the deformation and forces cells exert onto a surface. this'new' tactile sense of cells can be analysed in depth. Our methodologies will allow the first ever determinations of the spatial and absolute sensitivity of the cell types to changes in surface rigidity.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.gla.ac.uk |