Effects of rapid impact loading on neural progenitor cells*

We recently developed a high throughput microfluidic MEMS device, the μHammer, to subject individual cells to rapid impact loading, at strains of up to 40% over typical impact durations of ~10 μs. With the μHammer, we can subject >100,000 cells to controlled impacts per experiment, allowing measurement of both single cell properties and statistically-relevant population averages. Cells are collected post-impact and cultured, allowing the time course of damage and recovery to be determined through subsequent analysis. Here, we report the range of cytoskeletal structures and dynamics observed in neural progenitor cells (NPC) before and after sub-lethal impacts, as assessed by high-resolution confocal microscopy. These studies establish important baseline properties of the NPC cytoskeleton, while providing insight into the effects of traumatic injuries on cells and tissues.