Measuring biophysical properties of cells and nanoscale bioparticles in health and disease

Cells remodel extensively in response to environmental changes to ensure survival and function. Examples include immune cells moving through epithelial layers during infection, tumour cells spreading during metastasis, and cell migration potential after epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. While studies often focus on protein markers, there is a gap in understanding how biophysical properties like stiffness, membrane fluidity and viscosity change during these processes and in disease states. To bridge this gap and gain a thorough mechanistic understanding of cellular processes and diseases, our team and others have worked extensively to quantify the biophysical aspects of cells. We developed advanced imaging techniques with high spatiotemporal resolution to study these properties at the molecular level. Addition-ally, we created a robust flow cytometry-based pipeline to measure biophysical properties with high throughput and multiplex capability, along with reliable probes for quantification. Here, I will discuss our approach from probe development to high-throughput biophysical analysis.