Research Program
Cell Surface Interactions

Objectives
This proposal will develop a novel nanofabricated platform for the study of cell propulsive forces. The work described here utilizes the combined expertise of the Reinhart-King and Erickson labs in cell migration and micro/nano-systems, respectively, to create and implement a device for the study of cell mechanics. Because cell migration is so ubiquitous in many biological phenomenon (development, wound healing, inflammation, metastasis, etc.) we expect this technology to be of broad interest to a large community of researchers interested in cell migration. We use our newly developed tool to investigate the force generated by metastatic cells during migration, compared to non-metastatic cells, to explore the hypothesis that increased force generation is one factor which enables enhanced migration during metastasis.