Researchers in China and the United States have developed a micro-elastic sphere with a similar cell size that can measure compressive stress between cells. This technique is expected to be used for the early diagnosis of cancer.
A study published on the 14th in the UK's Nature and Communications magazine showed that researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign used a microfluidic chip and a flexible alginate polymer to make micro Elastic spheres have the same diameter, mechanical and chemical properties as cells.
Professor Wang Ning of Huazhong University of Science and Technology team added fluorescent nanoparticles to elastic balls to quantitatively analyze the deformation of elastic balls. Experiments have shown that these biocompatible micro-elastic spheres and living cells can measure the "biological force" on the three-dimensional scale. Wang Ning said that the use of "biological force" measurement technology can regulate the physiological micro-environment to achieve early diagnosis, treatment and cure of some complex diseases.
The research team used elastic ball technology to find that the "biological power" produced by malignant tumor regenerative cells and normal stem cells is different. Wang Ning said that measuring the "biological power" between cells is expected to be a tool for the early diagnosis of cancer and help explain how synthetic drugs that prevent cancer metastasis play a role. (According to Xinhua News Agency reporter Zhou Zhou)
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