Table 1.

Different techniques for mechanobiological measurements of cells.

Techniques		Cell Type	Mechanical Stimuli	Important Parameters	Advantages	Limitations
Classical Techniques	Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)	MCF7 [104]; Human bladder [96]	Cantilever micro indention	Tip deflection, Young’s modulus	High-resolution measurement; Provids both structural and mechanical information for local, whole, and interior measurements [23,97]	Low throughput; Mechanical hitting of AFM tip may affect cell activities and position of probe; Requires a high-resolution microscope
	Micropipette aspiration (MA)	Human cartilage [98]; Colon cancer cells [105]	Negative force	Young’s modulus	Low-cost and well-established method	Limited spatial resolution; Low throughput; For suspended cells only
	Magnetic twisting cytometry (MTC)	Melanoma [100]; MCF7 [106]	Force is applied by magnetic beads	Stiffness and Young’s modulus	Inducing little heat and photodamages compared to optical tweezer [10]	Resolution limitation; Inducing non-uniform stress; Beads are localized randomly on cell; Attachment angle affects the displacement
	Optical tweezers (OP)	RBC [99,107]	Laser-induced surface force	Deformation index	Without physical contact	Only for suspended cells; Damaging consequence of optical heating on cells; Limited magnitude of forces
	Parallel plate	Epithelial ovarian cancer [23]; MCF7 [106,108]	Shear stress	Aspect ratio	Homogeneity of the applied shear stress; Simplicity; Ability to study cell population	Need bulky devices; Large amount of reagents; Difficult to visualize deformation
Microfluidic Techniques	Fluid-induced deformation	PBMCs [102]	Fluid shear stress	Deformation index, size	High throughput; Simultaneously, other chemical assays can be done; The measurment can be done continuously; Contactless deformation; Applicable for both suspended and adhered cells	Needing expensive high-speed camera for imaging
	Constriction-induced deformation	K562 [109]; MDA-MB-231 [110]	Mechanical squeezing	Passage time, entry times, stiffness	Wide-ranging applications in cell deformation; Applicable for different geometry structures; Adjustable dimension for different cell types	Clogging and channel blockage; Possible effects of friction between cell and channel’s wall on measurements; Ignoring the effects of membrane rigidity and viscosity
	Aspiration-induced deformation	Neutrophils [24]	Negative pressure	Young’s modulus, cortical tension	Straightforward method; Well-established mathematical model	Leaking problem; Rectangle-like cross-section of microfluidic channels; Time-consuming process; Requiring high-vacuum pressure
	Optical stretcher	MCF7 [106]; MCF-7, MCF-10, MDA-MB-231 [111]; Red blood cells [99]; Melanoma cells [112]	Optically-induced surface forces	Deformation index, cell elasticity	No physical contact; Relatively high-throughput measurements	Alignment problem; Optical heating; Thermal damage
	Electrical-induced deformation	MCF-10A, MCF-7 [113]	Electroporation-induced swelling	Deformation index, size of cells	Fast heat dissipation; Better resolution; Automation and parallelization of test with reduced amount of samples	High energy consumption and high voltage
MEMS Techniques	Suspended microcantilever	Circulating tumor cells [114]; Fibroblast [101]	External actuator	Frequency of cantilever, passage time, transit time	All-inclusive systems; Parallel analysis; Better quality factor; Automation	Fabrication is expensive; Non-transparent channels; High stiffness of silicon; calibration process
	MEMS resonator	MCF7 [115]	External actuator	Frequency of cantilever	High throughput	Expensive fabrication; Requiring external electrical system; Only for adherent cells