← Back to research

Stress sensors and rheology measurements in living tissues

Understanding how mechanical forces shape tissues during embryonic development requires measuring their physical properties in vivo. Conventional macroscopic rheology cannot do this: it is destructive, and it does not reach cellular scales.

We inject ferrofluid droplets directly into the extracellular matrix, or between cells of the embryo. Applying controlled oscillating magnetic fields deforms these droplets, and their deformation gives a local, non-destructive read-out of the mechanical response (viscoelasticity, plasticity) of the surrounding matrix.

The approach maps the spatiotemporal dynamics of shear forces and mechanical stresses during morphogenesis.

Ferrofluid droplets deformed by a magnetic field inside a tissue, imaged by fluorescence microscopy
Inverse-emulsion micro-droplets used as in vivo mechanical stress sensors.

Collaborations

Related publications