Scott Manalis, MIT, "Measuring the Physical Properties of Single Cells"

Physical properties of single cells: Clinical applications

• Patel et. al, GSA60: Red Cell Distribution
• high variability in an individual cell sizes are highly correlated with disease

Suspended microchannel resonator (SMR)

• cantalever based, very small measurements
• can measure mass, volume, density, physical properties of cells

Complete picture of cells:

• mass
• volume
• density

Density is hardest

• measured with density gradient centrifugation
• issues:
• not single cell
• no mass/volume info
• etc.

Solution: Archmedes solution to determine whether or not a crown was really gold

• weigh in water, and air, and compare
• constant ratio
• repeat this experiment in SMR with single cell
• 1 cell/second
• mass & density can be used to distinguish iron-deficiency anemia