A high-throughput array for mechanical stimulation of adherent biological cells

A microfabricated array integrating large-displacement, out-of-plane, actuated microposts has been developed to apply mechanical strain to a biomaterial film. Across the array, uniform equibiaxial strains ranging from 0 to 10% can be applied simultaneously and cyclically to adherent cell populations, to determine cellular response to mechanical forces. This microfabricated platform is capable of providing a 256-fold increase in throughput over commercially available equipment, and for the first time, enables high-throughput screening of the integrated cellular response to combinations of mechanobiological factors.