Optical Magnetic Twisting Cytometry

Optical Magnetic Twisting Cytometry Magnetic twisting cytometry probes mechanical properties of an adherent cell by applying a torque to a magnetic bead tightly bound to the cell surface. Using a three-dimensional model of cell deformation we compute the relationships between the applied torque, and resulting bead rotation and lateral bead translation. From the analysis, we estimate the cell elastic modulus and the degree of the cell orthotropy, from the measurements of either bead rotations or lateral bead translations, if the degree of bead embedding and the cell height are known. Also, from these computations we estimate the adhesive forces between the bead and the cell surface.