Modelling of zebrafish chorion mechanical property characterisation using an automatic microrobotic force sensing system

59 p.Micromanipulation techniques have come into the foray of science and engineering recently and have found varied applications ranging from microinjection, microforce sensing, mechanobiology and other precision engineering tasks. Intra-Cellular Sperm Injection (ICSI) techniques are prevalent in the medical field and involve the manipulation of cells at a micro or nano-level to facilitate desired results of fertilisation or Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (SCNT). Promising results have been generated over the past years with several accounts of successful fertilisation, however it is noticed that these tasks require a high degree of precision and accurate manoeuvrability. In addition, minimizing of biological contamination and high throughout operation has become the need of the hour. Robotic Microsurgery and Microrobotic manipulation have established a more precise carrying out such tasks. The feasibility and the repeatability of such an Automatic Microrobotic System are illustrated here. The system is extensively deployed for the characterisation of the mechanical properties of a biomembrane, thus numerically quantifying the biological "softening" properties of membrane. The force profiles are modelled into a polynomial expression and reverse-engineered to achieve force control at a microlevel. This force control is the characteristic feature of this system. The biological perspective is investigated by applying controlled indentations to the fertilised embryo and analysing the proteomics. It is also believed to be of varied application in the field of mechanobiology, where force control is of paramount significance to investigate and bring about a desired stress-induced biological changes or control of the same. The system also foresees various related applications in the field of developmental biology, proteomics assessments, Molecular and cell biology etc.Master of Science (Biomedical Engineering