Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) have the ability to differentiate into a multitude of cell types that are very attractive for tissue engineering and cell therapy. In this project, we propose to investigate the effect of microenvironment on MSC differentiation through the use of a dedicated silicon microsystem. Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) are multipotent adult stem cells that are predominantly obtained from the bone marrow. These cells have a high ability to differentiate into a multitude of cell types that are very attractive for tissue engineering and cell therapy. On the other hand, cellular mechanotransduction (i.e. mechanisms by which cells convert mechanical stimuli into chemical activity) is known to play an important role in stem cells differentiation. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of mechanotransduction on MSC differentiation through the use of microtechnologies. In this frame, we propose to develop a silicon microsystem

targeted to mechanical assays on single-cell arrays. The core of this research will consist in investigating the effect of mechanical microenvironment on the differentiation of single MSC.

This interdisciplinary project is situated at the interface between cellular biology and microtechnology, with cell therapy and tissue engineering as clinical prospects.

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This research was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (Interdisciplinary research project No. CR32I3_130320).

T. C. Hausherr et al., "Capillary-valve-based platform towards cell-on-chipmechanotransduction assays," Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, 2013. DOI: 10.1016/j.snb.2013.07.050