Non-contact strain determination of cell traction effects

Irreversible tissue damage leading to organ failure is a common health problem in today's world. Regenerating these damaged tissues with the help of scaffolds is the solution offered by tissue engineering. In cases where the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) is to be replaced by an artificial substrate (scaffold) or matrix, cellular traction forces (CTF) are exerted by the cells on the scaffold surface. An ideal scaffold should exhibit mechanical characteristics similar to those of the ECM it is intended to replace. In other words, the capacity of a scaffold to withstand deformation should be comparable to that of a natural ECM. And with knowledge of those forces and deformations the properties of the scaffolds may be inferred. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), a non-contact image analysis technique enables us to measure point to point deformation of the scaffold by comparing a sequence of images captured during the process of scaffold deformation. This review discusses the methodology involved and implementation of DIC to measure displacements and strain.Irreversible tissue damage leading to organ failure is a common health problem in today's world. Regenerating these damaged tissues with the help of scaffolds is the solution offered by tissue engineering. In cases where the extra-cellular matrix (ECM) is to be replaced by an artificial substrate (scaffold) or matrix, cellular traction forces (CTF) are exerted by the cells on the scaffold surface. An ideal scaffold should exhibit mechanical characteristics similar to those of the ECM it is intended to replace. In other words, the capacity of a scaffold to withstand deformation should be comparable to that of a natural ECM. And with knowledge of those forces and deformations the properties of the scaffolds may be inferred. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), a non-contact image analysis technique enables us to measure point to point deformation of the scaffold by comparing a sequence of images captured during the process of scaffold deformation. This review discusses the methodology involved and implementation of DIC to measure displacements and strain