Applications
- Pharmaceutical applications: Pharmaceutical and biochemical substances, dose-response, kinetic studies, reversibility.
- Medical research: Hypertension, cardiovascular system, sepsis, bioavailability tests with patients’ blood plasma, wound healing
- Testing of non-biological material: Determination of the curing time of adhesives/dyes/sprays, polymer phase transition tests
Advantages
- Compact and versatile
- Autoclavable and sterilizable
- Precise temperature monitoring
- Incubator safe components
- Highly reproducible data
- All adherent cell types can be analyzed
- Fast measurement
- Automated data analysis
- Suitable for six consecutive measurements in one run
The measuring principle
The CFArefer determines the inverse modulus of elasticity (compliance) of the cultured cell layers on the CellDrumTM.
The highly flexible membrane mimics the soft mechanical “environment” of cells in tissues and creates almost physiological mechanical conditions for cell growth. The CFArefer determines the absolute mechanical stress and is therefore independent of the measurement method. It therefore serves as a reference method for all other, less defined “cell force” systems.
The measurements are performed in a controlled environment at 37°C.
By using soft, ultra-thin (a few µm) membranes to which the cell layers adhere and are cultivated, the membrane deflection reacts to induced, extremely small cell force changes in the sum of all cells in the cell layer. After cell cultivation and positioning of the CellDrumTM in the CFArefer, these measurements are carried out and evaluated semi-automatically.
Media and substance changes are possible at any time.