StretchView - Supporting Information
This dataset contains Supporting Information and Movie files that are associated with the research article 'StretchView – A Multi-Axial Cell-Stretching Device for Long-Term Automated Videomicroscopy of Living Cells' published in the year 2025 in Advanced Science (available under https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202408853).
Abstract of the research article:
Incorporating mechanical stretching of cells in tissue culture is crucial for mimicking (patho)-physiological conditions and understanding the mechanobiological responses of cells, which can have significant implications in areas like tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Despite the growing interest, most available cell-stretching devices are not compatible with automated live-cell imaging, indispensable for characterizing alterations in the dynamics of various important cellular processes. In this work, StretchView is presented, a multi-axial cell-stretching platform compatible with automated, time-resolved live-cell imaging. Using StretchView, long-term image acquisition of cells in the relaxed and stretched states was shown for the first time (experimental time span of 12 h at a time resolution of 50 s) without the need for human intervention. Homogeneous and stable strain fields were demonstrated for 18 hours of cyclic stretching, highlighting the platform’s versatility and robustness. As proof-of-principle, the effect of stretching on cell kinematics and spatiotemporal localization of the cell-cell adhesion protein E-cadherin was examined for MDCK cells in monolayer. First evidence of a monotonic increase in junctional E-cadherin localization upon exposure to stretch was presented using live-cell imaging data acquired during cyclic stretching, suggestive of an increase in barrier integrity of the monolayer. These findings highlight the potential of StretchView in providing insights into cell mechanobiology and beyond.