Dynamics analysis and automated control of cell chemotaxis movement using a robot-aided optical manipulation tool

Chemotaxis is an event in which cells spatially sense their extro-environment and move along a chemokine gradient. Rapid advances in various cell- and molecule-based biomedical applications have led to increasing demands for the precise and proactive control of cell chemotaxis movement. This paper presents the development of a robot-aided optical manipulation tool for dynamics analysis and automated control of cell chemotaxis movement. Cell locomotion model is developed to characterize the relationship between the chemoattractant and the forces that govern the cell migration. The microparticles, releasing a chemokine while in motion, are optically trapped and robotically controlled to induce cell polarization and migration. Experiments performed on migrating leukemia cancer cells demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The arising research income of this paper will benefit the development of an automated control strategy for cell migration, targeting at the novel therapies in the future medicine.