Abstract:

The adhesion between cells or subcellular structures participates in important pathophysiological processes such as cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, immune activation and tumor metastasis. Cross-discipline research methods can integrate cell biology, immunology, and biomechanics, and quantitatively measure the cell adhesion force. With the establishment of corresponding dynamic mathematical models, biophysical properties of cell adhesion can be further elucidated. Thus novel theoretic evidence and intervention strategies can be provided for in-depth understanding of interaction models of lymphocytes during immune response, targeting of drugs towards carrier cells, compatibility between biomaterials and tissue cells, as well as biomechanical mechanism of tumor metastasis. This article introduces the principles of micropipette aspiration assay for measuring cell adhesion and reviews its latest applications.

Key words: cell adhesion, mechanic force, dual micropipette aspiration, immune responses, clinical significance