Figure 1
From: An ultra-fast mechanically active cell culture substrate
(a) Isometric view of the DEA-based cell stretcher placed in a compact holder that allows for simple connection to the voltage source. The bottom picture is a top view of the device. Electrodes are black, the elastomer is transparent and the frame is green. DEAs are patterned around a central region, in which the cells are cultured. By actuating the DEA electrodes, uniaxial tensile and compressive strain can be generated in the culture region. Cells cultured in the region between the DEA and the frame serve as a static control. (b) Plot of culture strain vs. time for three cases: the green trace is a measured complex strain-time profile generated with our device, reproducing the strain experienced by cells in the mitral valve of the human heart42, shown in red. The high strains and high strain rates generated by our device enable accurately reproducing the complex motion encountered in vivo. In commercial cell stretching systems, the strain-time profile is typically approximated as simple sinusoid as plotted in black. (c) Left: images of the static and active areas of the membrane with a monolayer of human bronchial smooth muscle cells cultured on the device. Right: human lung carcinoma cells grown on the device, imaged in fluorescence at 40x magnification, with DNA and mitochondria stained in blue and green, showing the high-quality imaging through the device.
