The rapidly growing field of mechanobiology demands for robust and reproducible characterization of cell mechanical properties. Recent achievements in understanding the mechanical regulation of cell fate largely rely on technological platforms capable of probing the mechanical response of living cells and their physico-chemical interaction with the microenvironment. Besides the established family of atomic force microscopy (AFM) based methods, other approaches include optical, magnetic, and acoustic tweezers, as well as sensing substrates that take advantage of biomaterials chemistry and microfabrication techniques. In this review, we introduce the available methods with an emphasis on the most recent advances, and we discuss the challenges associated with their implementation.

Center for Translational Medicine International Clinical Research Center St Anne's University Hospital Brno Czechia

Department of Engineering Università Campus Bio Medico di Roma Rome Italy

Department of Engineering University of Cambridge Cambridge United Kingdom

Institute for Photonics and Nanotechnologies National Research Council Rome Italy

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A primer to traction force microscopy