Abstract : The most important conclusions of this program for biology arc that mechanical forces (here, generated magnetically) applied to the surface of cells provides a method of stimulating cells, and of reading out their response (via changes in the cytoskeleton) to changes in their environment. Magnetic interactions have many characteristics required for broad utility in biomedicine: in particles, i) magnetic forces can be much stronger than optical forces; ii) they are not screened or attenuated (as are optical and electrostatic forces) by the medium; iii) the availability of nanoscale magnetic particles, and to modify the properties of these particles through surface chemistry, provides a method of applying large forces locally and to specific receptors or targets; iv) cells respond readily to mechanical stimulation by magnetic forces; v) magnetic interactions provide the basis for a range of methods for separations of cells and molecules.
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