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What is the MechanoWell®?

The MechanoWell®, utilizes a unique substrate for imposing stretch and quantifying strain, which together allow calculation of a single stiffness value per tissue slice, sufficient to evaluate the therapeutic potential of drugs. The approach is widely applicable to measure other biological tissues, including lung, kidney, bladder, heart and liver. In each case, we can generate in vivo-like data at an in vitro scale, while simultaneously reducing cost, time, and animal testing. 

How does the MechanoWell work?

The MechanoWell® (patented, copyrighted, and published in Science Advances) measures tissue stiffness by: i) radially stretching a sheet-like sample such as a human precision cut lung slice (PCLS), ii) recording corresponding PCLS deformation, iii) establishing a master relationship relating PCLS deformation to PCLS stiffness by solving the elasticity equations with finite element methods (FEM), and, iv) obtaining PCLS stiffness using the a priori established master relationship. 

The MechanoWell Advantages

High-content


Unprecedented insight into microscale
lung function, with multiplexing capability
to assess cell specific biological responses
to candidate compounds

Clinically relevant


Existing PCLS measurements of ECM
gene and protein expression levels are by
themselves insufficient to predict lung
function improvements or impairments.
In comparison, stiffness changes closely
correlate with pulmonary function changes
measured during COPD and fibrosis drug
trials, and thus the stiffness measurements
in the MechanoWell® can be a direct
correlate of patient well-being.   

Innovative

Label-free, non-invasive, rapid
(<5 minutes per one hPCLS measurement),
and readily integrated with traditional
IPF drug discovery endpoints.

Statistics

Small

Set-up Cost

<5 min

For each PCLS

<1 week

Training Time

Let Us Run Your Experiments

CRO Services

Bespoke modeling and drug testing for COPD, fibrosis, asthma, ARDS. 

Disease-derived or disease-induced conditions

Active partnerships with industry leaders

Please contact us for more details