Micromechanical stimulation chips for studying mechanotransduction in micturition

We have developed a micromechanical stimulation chip that can apply physiologically relevant mechanical stimuli to single cells to study mechanosensitive cells in the urinary tract. The chips comprise arrays of microactuators based on the electroactive polymer polypyrrole (PPy). PPy offers unique possibilities and is a good candidate to provide such physiological mechanical stimulation, since it is driven at low voltages, is biocompatible, and can be microfabricated. The PPy microactuators can provide mechanical stimulation at different strains and/or strain rates to single cells or clusters of cells, including controls, all integrated on one single chip, without the need to pre-prepare the cells. The chips allow for in situ stimulation during live imaging studies. The use of these devices will increase experimental quality and reduce the number of biological samples. These unique tools fill an important gap in presently available tools, since the chips provide array-based stimulation patterns and are easily integrated in existing cell biology equipment. These chips will generate a leap forward in our understanding of the mechanisms involved in mechanotransduction in cells that may lead to breakthroughs, for instance in therapies for urinary incontinence.