1. Helical nanobots as mechanical probes of intra- and extracellular environments
- Author
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Neha Somalwar, Dharma Teja, Mayank Tiwari, Malay Pal, Deepak Kumar Saini, Reshma Vr, Jayshree Rs, Suma Mysore Narayana, Aradhana Katke, Ambarish Ghosh, Debayan Dasgupta, and Ramray Bhat
- Subjects
Microrheology ,Novel technique ,Materials science ,Intracellular Space ,02 engineering and technology ,Living cell ,01 natural sciences ,0103 physical sciences ,Extracellular ,High spatial resolution ,Humans ,General Materials Science ,010306 general physics ,Mechanical Phenomena ,Nanotubes ,Viscosity ,Direct observation ,021001 nanoscience & nanotechnology ,Condensed Matter Physics ,Living systems ,Biophysics ,Nanorobotics ,Extracellular Space ,Rheology ,0210 nano-technology ,HeLa Cells - Abstract
A rheological probe that can measure mechanical properties of biological milieu at well-defined locations with high spatial resolution, on a time scale faster than most biological processes, can further improve our understanding of how living systems operate and behave. Here, we demonstrate nanorobots actively driven in realistic ex vivo biological systems for fast mechanical measurements with high spatial accuracy. In the various demonstrations of magnetic nanobots as mechanical probes, we report the first direct observation of the internalization of probes by a living cell, the accurate measurement of the 'fluid phase' cytoplasmic viscosity of ~200 cP for a HeLa cell, demonstration of intracellular measurements in cells derived from human patients; all of which establish the strength of this novel technique for measurements in both intra- and extracellular environments.
- Published
- 2020
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