Stiffness Measurement of 3D Spheroids Through Microtweezer Analysis
Open Access
Author:
Dominick, Aaron
Area of Honors:
Engineering Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Ibrahim Tarik Ozbolat, Thesis Supervisor Francesco Costanzo, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Bioprinting Spheroid Stiffness Tissue Engineering
Abstract:
Aspiration-assisted bioprinting (AAB) is a type of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting that utilizes aspiration forces to precisely place a wide range of biologics in both scaffold-based and scaffold-free arrangements. AAB has a wide range of potential applications from organ-on-a-chip devices, regenerative medicine, and the study of fundamental biological phenomena. To develop a model of the AAB system, the Young’s modulus of the main bioink, known as spheroids, must be determined. However, current material characterization techniques, such as Atomic Force Microscopy, outputs a force ranging from pN to nN, which is not enough to probe larger 3D biologics. To generate the force required for measurement, interchangeable force-sensing cantilevers are used to produce forces ranging between μN to mN. The two cantilevers tweeze the sample, and the bending is tracked using MATLAB software. From this, the stiffness of the sample is calculated, and the Finite Element Method (FEM) is used to determine Young’s modulus. The efficacy of the microtweezer device was validated through the stiffness measurement of agarose at known concentrations.
