# Platform for high-throughput biomechanical measurements using metallic islands on boron nitride nanosheets

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · 2020 · $236,648

## Abstract

SUMMARY
This proposal describes a new platform for high-throughput measurement of mechanical phenomena in cells.
The platform is based on a type of strain sensor comprising metallic nanoislands supported by hexagonal boron
nitride. Mechanical deformation produces a change in both the electrical resistance and the optical scattering of
these sensors. These processes allow the detection of deformations ≤1 ppm (≤0.0001% strain). This
unprecedented level of sensitivity permits the measurement of minute forces produced by cells that cannot be
measured using existing methods, and the electrical signals can be analyzed rapidly using machine-learning
algorithms. While this sensor has a broad range of potential applications in cell biology, we apply it here to a
ubiquitous challenge in cardiovascular medicine and drug discovery. In particular, contractile dysfunction in
cardiomyocytes is associated with a range of difficult-to-treat cardiomyopathies. In drug discovery, cardiotoxicity
(myopathy, arrhythmia, or both) is a leading reason for the failure of drugs during development and aftermarket
launch. For some classes of drugs—especially those used in chemotherapy—up to 30% of patients experience
heart disease related to their treatment. Indeed, heart failure is the second most common reason for death of
cancer patients. There are currently no assays that are both predictive of cardiotoxicity and are of sufficient
throughput to implement early in drug development (i.e., when safer drug leads can be selected among
analogues). We propose the use of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) bearing
various disease-associated mutations as a test case of our nano-enabled biomechanical sensor. In particular,
we will construct an array based on a “96-well” plate format combined with high-throughput analysis using a
purpose-designed machine learning algorithm in order to measure the forces and kinetics of contractility of the
cells. Such a platform would enable large-scale evaluation of disease mechanisms and accelerate therapeutic
target discovery by permitting high-throughput, unbiased testing. This application offers the exciting possibility
of introducing aspects of the biology of the human heart early in the discovery pipeline. More broadly, the platform
we describe offers the potential of answering deep questions about mechanical phenomena in cells—“the
mechanome”—which play critical roles in human health.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9956483
- **Project number:** 1R21GM137151-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO
- **Principal Investigator:** Darren J Lipomi
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $236,648
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9956483

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9956483, Platform for high-throughput biomechanical measurements using metallic islands on boron nitride nanosheets (1R21GM137151-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9956483. Licensed CC0.

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