Rudd R.E., McElfresh M., Baesu E., Balhorn R., Alleny M., Belak J.
Lawrence Livermore National Lab., US
Keywords: AFM, biological cell, cell membrane, finite-element modeling, living cell
We describe finite element modeling of the deformation of living cells by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Cells are soft systems, susceptible to large deformations in the course of an AFM measurement. Often the local properties, the subject of the measurement, are obscured by the response of the cell as a whole. The Lagrangian finite deformation model we have developed and implemented in finite elements analysis offers a solution to this problem. The efect of the gross deformation of the cell can be subtracted from the experimentally measured data in order to give a reproducible value for local properties. This facilitates concurrent experimental e orts to measure the mechanical properties at specific receptor sites on the membrane of a living cell.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Technical Proceedings of the 2002 International Conference on Computational Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Published: April 22, 2002
Pages: 73 - 76
Industry sectors: Energy & Sustainability | Medical & Biotech
Topics: Biofuels & Bioproducts, Sustainable Materials
ISBN: 0-9708275-6-3