Promotionsvortrag Physik: „High-throughput viscoelastic characterization of cells in microchannels“

Ankündigung des Promotionsvortrags von: Herrn Felix Reichel

Extensive research has showcased the potential of cell viscoelastic properties as intrinsic markers of cell state, functionality, and disease. However, existing techniques often lack the through-put required for clinical diagnostics. This presentation addresses this gap by developing high-throughput microfluidic solutions to assess the stress-strain relationship of cells.

First, I will present how real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC), an established technique to measure cell mechanical properties, can be extended for viscoelasticity measurements. In a comprehensive study, the stresses exerted by the cell carrier solution were characterized and constitutive equations to compute the stresses at any flow conditions were presented. These equations were employed in simulations of the RT-DC experiments, revealing discrepancies be-tween simulation and experiment. These were attributed to an incomplete modeling of the rheology of the carrier solution.

In a second part of the talk, I will introduce a new method to measure cell viscoelasticity by employing hyperbolic microchannels, simplifying the derivation of a stress-strain relationship. Validation on various particles and cells demonstrated the approach's efficacy in characterizing viscoelastic properties efficiently.

These insights and methodologies hold promise for advancing cell mechanics, deformability cytometry, and fluid mechanics of complex liquids, with applications in cell research and diagnostics.

(Vortrag auf Englisch)

Dem Vortrag schließt sich eine Diskussion von 15 Minuten an. Vortrag und Diskussion sind öffentlich. Diesen Verfahrensteilen folgt ein nicht öffentliches Rigorosum von 45 Minuten.